DPM: Govt may abolish death penalty
BANGI, June 29 — The government is looking
into the need to make amendments to do away with the mandatory death
penalty in legislation pertaining to criminal offences, Deputy Prime
Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail said
today.
As of now, the government had deferred the death penalty for drug-related offenders, she said.
“The last Cabinet meeting resolved to
implement the government decision to defer the death penalty imposed on
17 people convicted of drug offences.
“In a broader context, we also touched on the
need to consider whether the same thing can be applied for offenders in
other crimes,” she said at a press conference after launching EduWAQF,
an educational ‘wakaf’ (Islamic endowment)
initiated by AWQAF Holdings Berhad, here.
Wan Azizah said this measure would enable
Sirul Azhar Umar, who was convicted and sentenced to death over the
murder of Mongolian model Altantuya Shaariibuu, to return to Malaysia
from Australia if he wanted to.
She said Sirul Azhar, who had sought
protection in Australia, was unlikely to be allowed to return to
Malaysia so long as he had to face a death penalty upon his coming back.
“That’s why we are discussing whether it is necessary for us to change the sentence or replace it with any penalty,” she said.
It had been reported that Australia
authorities had allowed a Malaysian request for Sirul Azhar to be
extradited on condition that Malaysia agreed to bear the costs but the
former Special Action Unit member reportedly refused to
return home for fear of having to face the death penalty. — Bernama - Malay Mail, 29/6/2018
Malaysia to abolish death penalty to bring Sirul home? [NSTTV]
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia wants to extradite convicted killer Sirul Azhar Umar back home but is facing resistance from Australia due to their anti-death penalty stance.
His extradition with the cooperation of Australia may require for laws against the death penalty to be amended said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.
“We want to bring Sirul back but Australia is against the death penalty.
“So to bring him back the law (extradition) has to be amended. We have to discuss whether the death penalty has to be amended or abolished,” she said while launching an EduWaqf programme under Awqaf Holdings Bhd, here yesterday.
Sirul Azhar Umar
He said that even if Australia had evidence that could help the Malaysian police bring about a conviction in a serious crime, it could not provide that assistance if it might lead to the application of the death penalty.
Goledzinowski said this at Suhakam’s National Conference on Death Penalty, here yesterday.
Sirul, a former policeman, who was convicted of murdering Mongolian model Altantuya Shariibuu has once again expressed his willingness to tell-all regarding the high profile murder.
He even wrote a personal letter to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad, according to former Umno division leader Datuk Seri Khairuddin Abu Hassan who met with Sirul at the Villawood Detention Camp in Sydney on June 28.
Sirul and former chief inspector Azilah Hadri, were charged with killing the Mongolian model and mother of two on Oct 18, 2008.
The Court of Appeal had overturned the sentences of Sirul and Azilah in 2013.
The death sentences were upheld by the Federal Court following the prosecution’s appeal.
Sirul, however, fled to Australia before his conviction, where he has been at the Immigration and Border Protection Department’s facility in Sydney since 2015. - New Straits Times, 29/6/2018
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