MADPET urges Putrajaya to announce moratorium on death penalty
The NGO expressed satisfaction that Malaysia has in place a "moratorium"
on executions, especially for those languishing on death row for drug
trafficking.
KUALA LUMPUR: MADPET (Malaysians Against Death Penalty and Torture)
has expressed satisfaction that Malaysia has in place a “moratorium on
executions, especially for those languishing on death row for drug
trafficking.
The NGO urged the Malaysian Government to extend the “moratorium” on
executions to all persons on
death row, not for just those convicted for
drug trafficking. “This only makes sense, since Malaysia is now in the
process of abolishing the death penalty, beginning with the mandatory
death penalty,” said MADPET spokesman Charles Hector in a statement.
He referred to Edmund Bon Tai Soon, Malaysia’s current AICHR (ASEAN
Intergovernmental
Commission on Human Rights) representative, as
reportedly saying “…Malaysia’s moratorium, I understand, is only for
drug trafficking cases…’ (Star, 10/7/2015).”
“It must be noted that the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia
(SUHAKAM), also did reiterate on 29 March 2016 their recommendation that
a moratorium on the use of the death penalty be put in place in
Malaysia”.
MADPET thinks that “this positive development” should not be kept
secret, but should have long been proudly announced by the Malaysian
Government.
In fact, continued Hector, Nancy Shukri, then de facto Law Minister,
should have proudly announced Malaysia’s moratorium on executions when
she took the stage at the 6th World Congress Against Death Penalty in
Malaysia.
The existence of the mandatory death penalty, for offences that do
not result in death, as in the Firearms (Increased Penalties) Act 1971,
only unnecessarily increases the risk of victims and/or witnesses to
these crimes being killed by perpetrators to avoid the mandatory death
penalty, said MADPET.
There are at least 10 offences in Malaysian laws that carry the
mandatory death penalty, whereby only three are for offences that result
in the death of the victim, added Hector. He cited the laws: Murder
(sec.302 Penal Code), Committing terrorist acts where the act results in
death (sec. 130C (1)(a) Penal Code); and Hostage taking where the act
results in death (sec. 374(a) Penal Code).
For all the other mandatory death penalty offences, death does not
result, he pointed out. “We are referring to Drug Trafficking (sec. 39B
Dangerous Drugs Act 1952) and six types of offence listed in the
Schedule of the Firearms (Increased Penalties) Act 1971, which includes
robbery, kidnapping, extortion and house trespass.” - FMT News, 14/7/2016
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