KUALA LUMPUR: The government has conducted an engagement session with lawmakers on alternative sentences for 11 offences that carry the mandatory death penalty, as well as 23 offences for which capital punishment is left to the court’s discretion.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Parliament and Law) Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar (pic) said the session at Parliament here on Tuesday (Sept 20) was attended by representatives from Barisan Nasional, Perikatan Nasional, Pakatan Harapan and independent members of the Dewan Rakyat.
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“Senior officers from the Home Ministry, Attorney General’s Chambers and Prisons Department also attended,” he said in a statement on Wednesday (Sept 21).
During the session, lawmakers also discussed and agreed to maintain the moratorium on execution of 1,337 inmates currently on death row, he added.
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He said in general, those who attended were appreciative of the government’s commitment to abolishing the death penalty, seen as a positive step in transforming the nation’s sentencing policy and upgrading its justice system.
He said the engagement session would also prepare the way for the presentation of amendments to the relevant Acts in the coming Parliament sitting.
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Issues related to life imprisonment and whipping were also raised at the engagement session for further study and implementation, he added.
On June 8, the government agreed in principle to abolish the mandatory death penalty.