Government must move towards total abolition of death penalty

THE National Human Rights Society for Malaysia (Hakam) commends the present government for tabling the Abolition of Mandatory Death Penalty Bill 2023 for first reading in the Dewan Rakyat on March 27. This is a progressive step taken by the government to advance human rights in Malaysia.

Mandatory use of the death penalty denies judges the possibility of considering the mitigating circumstances of the accused or the offences when delivering a proportionate and fair sentence.