Malaysia’s Minister of Law announces bill abolishing the death penalty for 33 offences
On World Day against the Death Penalty, 10 October, the Minister of Law in the Prime Minister’s Office, Datuk Liew Vui Keong, publicly announced that the Cabinet intended on introducing an abolition bill to Parliament. The Cabinet finally agreed on scraping capital punishment for 33 offences.
Malaysia is going to live by example, as we are striving to champion for the protection of all human rights and to defend democratic principles in all segments of social life. In our vision of society, there is no place for death imposed by the State Hon. Kula Segaran, Minister for Human Resources; Member of the Dewan Rakyat, Chairman of PGA’s National Group; Member of PGA’s Executive Committee and Co-Convenor of PGA’s International Law and Human Rights Program
Hon. Kula Segaran
Minister for Human Resources; Member of the Dewan Rakyat, Chairman of PGA’s National Group; Member of PGA’s Executive Committee and Co-Convenor of PGA’s International Law and Human Rights Program
Positive Developments
“Standing against death penalty in Asia”: Parliamentarians meet in Kuala Lumpur to share and strategise
On 30-31 October 2018, PGA jointly with Ensemble contre la peine de mort (Together against the death penalty, ECPM) and the Anti-Death Penalty Asia Network (ADPAN) organised in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) a regional parliamentary seminar entitled “Standing against the death penalty in Asia”.
Read the Kuala Lumpur Action Plan.
Setbacks
Ohio’s Congress examines bill banning abortion and punishing it by death
Bangladesh Approves Death Penalty for Drug Offences in Draft Laws
India’s Supreme Court upholds constitutional validity of the death penalty
The project of revision of the Tunisian Criminal Code uphold the death penalty (in French)
New Reports and Resources
Sentencing in Capital Cases – a report by the Death Penalty Project, in partnership with Doughty Street Chambers
UPCOMING ACTIVITIES
17 December 2018 – Final vote by the General Assembly of the United Nations on the 7th resolution on a moratorium on the use of the death penalty
27 February – 1 March 2019 – World Congress against the Death Penalty (Brussels, Belgium) including a side-event on “Parliamentarians as Abolitionist Champions”, organised by PGA