KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 6 — More than 800 death row inmates in Malaysia have had their sentences commuted to imprisonment under the new Death Penalty and Life Imprisonment Review Act 2023.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said said 866 individuals received reduced sentences from the Federal Court between Jan 1 and Oct 14, 2024.

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“Of that number, 52 were prisoners at the appeal stage who were granted a reduction of their death sentences to imprisonment.

“Additionally, another 814 individuals were granted a reduction of their death sentences to imprisonment through hearings under the Death Penalty and Life Imprisonment Review (Temporary Jurisdiction of the Federal Court) Act 2023 [Act 847], which came into effect on September 12, 2023,” she said in a parliamentary written reply to Bukit Gelugor MP Ramkarpal Singh Deo.

Ramkarpal had asked the Prime Minister’s Department for the number of individuals newly sentenced to death from January 1 to October 14 this year, and the number of death penalty commutations during the same period.

Azalina noted that 18 individuals received new death sentences — 12 from the High Court and six from the Court of Appeal. Malay Mail, 6/11/2024

UN General Assembly passes resolution calling for global moratorium on death penalty

December 19, 2024

The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has passed a resolution calling for a global moratorium on executions, marking a significant step toward the abolition of the death penalty Amnesty International on Wednesday.

In a vote on December 17, 2024, 130 UN member states—more than two-thirds of the membership—supported the resolution, while 32 voted against and 22 abstained.

The resolution, the tenth of its kind since 2007, was introduced by Argentina and Italy on behalf of an Inter-Regional Task Force and co-sponsored by 70 states. Support for the resolution has steadily grown, with countries such as Antigua and Barbuda, Kenya, Morocco, and Zambia voting in favor for the first time.

Several others, including Gabon, Bangladesh, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, shifted their positions positively compared to the last vote in December 2022.

However, some states changed their stance negatively. Guinea and Uganda abstained after supporting the resolution in 2022, while Mauritania and Papua New Guinea moved to vote against it. Five countries, including Dominica and Syria, were absent from the latest vote.

Amnesty International described the vote as a pivotal moment in the global movement to abolish the death penalty. Chiara Sangiorgio, the organization’s death penalty expert, noted the increasing consensus among states to reject executions as incompatible with human rights.

Sangiorgio acknowledged the moral and political significance of the resolution while expressing concerns over language affirming state sovereignty in criminal penalties, which could undermine progress.

Despite the resolution’s growing support, Amnesty highlighted ongoing concerns about executions in countries such as Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United States, urging states retaining the death penalty to take immediate steps toward its abolition.

Since 2007, the number of UN member states classified as abolitionist for all crimes has risen from 90 to 113. The resolution’s backers emphasized the importance of continued dialogue and accountability to ensure global progress toward ending capital punishment. - ShiaWaves, 19/12/2024

Global: UN member states move closer to rejecting death penalty as lawful punishment under international law

In a landmark vote, more than two thirds of the UN membership have supported the UN call for the establishment of a moratorium on executions with a view to abolishing the death penalty. The vote took place at the plenary session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) on 17 December 2024.

Following the announcement, Chiara Sangiorgio, Amnesty International’s expert on the death penalty, said:

“This vote marks a major turning point for countries around the world and proves that UN member states are steadily moving closer to rejecting the death penalty as a lawful punishment under international human rights law. The support from states for the death penalty looks very different from when international treaties allowing for its retention were first adopted. The unprecedented support for this resolution shows that the global journey towards abolition is unstoppable.  

“These resolutions carry considerable moral and political weight, ensuring that the way in which this cruel punishment is used will continue to be scrutinized. Those voting in favour of the call for a moratorium on executions now represent a two third majority of all countries, having risen from 104 in 2007 to 130 this year. In a hugely positive move, this year’s vote saw Antigua and Barbuda, Kenya, Morocco and Zambia vote in favour of the call for a moratorium for the first time, reflecting steady advances and dialogues towards abolition at national level.

This vote shows a developing consensus among states towards rejecting executions as a practice compatible with the protection of human rights. 

Chiara Sangiorgio, Amnesty International’s death penalty expert

“However, we regret the support given to language in the resolution reaffirming the sovereign right of each state to determine their own criminal penalties to justify the imposition of the death penalty. This language must be rejected as a matter of priority, as it weakens the spirit of UN resolutions as the standard to aspire to and has the only intention of stymieing human rights progress on an issue as important as the death penalty.

“Amnesty International has been campaigning for an end to the death penalty for close to five decades. This vote shows a developing consensus among states towards rejecting executions as a practice compatible with the protection of human rights. Despite alarming execution figures recorded in countries such as Iran, Saudi Arabia and the USA in 2023, the number of states that still carry out executions represents a small and isolated minority.

“Prompted also by this resolution, countries that still retain the death penalty must take immediate steps towards abolition, while all UN member states must bring accountability for the flagrant violations of the right to life that we are witnessing daily through executions.”

Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all cases without exception, regardless of the nature or circumstances of the crime; guilt, innocence, or other characteristics of the individual; or the method used by the state to carry out the execution.

Background

  • 130 UN member states, more than two-thirds of the UN membership, voted to adopt the tenth resolution on a moratorium on the use of the death penalty, while 32 voted against the proposal and 22 abstained. This resolution was proposed by Argentina and Italy on behalf of an Inter-Regional Task Force of member states and co-sponsored by 70 states.

  • Support for the resolution has increased since it was last adopted by the plenary session in December 2022. Several states changed their vote positively compared to then. Antigua and Barbuda changed its vote from against to in favour. Gabon, Kenya, Morocco and Zambia voted in favour, after abstaining in 2022; and the Bahamas, Bangladesh and the Democratic Republic of the Congo changed from against to abstention. Sao Tome and Principe, Seychelles, Somalia and Vanuatu voted in favour, after not voting at the plenary two years ago.

  • Several countries negatively changed their position. Guinea and Uganda changed from vote in favour in 2022 to abstention this year. Mauritania and Papua New Guinea moved from abstention to vote against.

  • Dominica, Grenada and Syria, which had voted against in 2022, as well as the Central African Republic and Marshall Islands, which had voted in favour in 2022, were not present at yesterday’s vote. Comoros abstained, after it was not present in 2022.

  • Since 2007, the UNGA has adopted ten resolutions calling for the establishment of a moratorium on executions with a view to abolishing the death penalty, with increased cross-regional support.

  • The number of countries classified by Amnesty International as abolitionists for all crimes has grown from 90 in 2007 to the current figure of 113. - Amnesty International , 18/12/2024