The Abolition of the Mandatory Death Penalty in Malaysia: An Analysis from the Perspectives of Human Rights and Criminal Justice
Abstract
The abolition of the mandatory death penalty in Malaysia through the Abolition of Mandatory Death Penalty Act 2023 represents a significant development in the country’s criminal justice system. Prior to the amendment, several criminal offences under the Penal Code, the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, and other statutes prescribed the mandatory death penalty without allowing the courts to consider mitigating factors, the degree of the accused’s involvement or the individual circumstances of the case when determining the appropriate sentence. This situation gave rise to considerable debate from the perspectives of human rights and criminal justice, particularly in relation to the right to life, substantive justice, the risk of wrongful conviction, and the limitations of judicial discretion. Accordingly, this study examines the relevant legal developments, the factors that prompted the policy shift and sentencing approaches following the implementation of the Abolition of Mandatory Death Penalty Act 2023.The study adopts a qualitative approach through doctrinal and socio-legal research designs. Data were obtained from primary sources including statutes, court cases, parliamentary Hansard, and semi-structured interviews with legal practitioners, as well as secondary sources comprising journal articles, academic books, and reports published by human rights organisations. The findings indicate that the abolition of the mandatory death penalty was influenced by developments in human rights principles, concerns over the risk of judicial error, the need to strengthen substantive justice, and the expansion of judicial discretion in sentencing. The case analysis further shows that, following the abolition, courts have begun to exercise judicial discretion more broadly by taking into account the extent of accused’s involvement, mitigating factors, and the circumstances of each case. Based on these findings, the study proposes the development of clearer and more consistent sentencing guidelines to promote uniformity in sentencing decisions. In addition, mechanisms for reviewing cases, as well as rehabilitation and social reintegration programmes for prisoners, should be strengthened to ensure that this new approach is implemented in a more orderly and balanced manner within Malaysia’s criminal justice system.
Keywords: Mandatory death penalty, human rights, criminal justice, judicial discretion, sentencing, legal reform
Full text: PDF
References
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Harring, S. L. (1991). Death, drugs and development: Malaysia’s mandatory death penalty for traffickers and the international war on drugs. Columbia Journal of Transnational Law, 29(2), 365–406. https://academicworks.cuny.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1315&context=cl_pubs.
Harry, A. (2021). Rethinking the Relationship between Women, Crime and Economic Factors: The Case-Study of Women Sentenced to Death for Drug Trafficking in Malaysia. Laws, 10(9), 1–26. https://doi.org/10.3390/laws10010009
Hood, R. (2012). The death penalty in Malaysia: Public opinion on the mandatory death penalty for drug trafficking, murder and firearms offences. The Death Penalty Project. https://www.deathpenaltyproject.org/knowledge/the-death penalty-in-malaysia/.
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Ishay, M. (2004). What are human rights? Six historical controversies. Journal of Human Rights, 3(3), 359–371. https://doi.org/10.1080/1475483042000224897
Kanun Keseksaan (Akta 574).
Khairul Naim Rafidi, Peguam cara dan Peguam bela, Messrs Khairul Naim Rafidi. Temu bual pada 31 Julai 2025.
Khokin Miah lwn. Pendakwa Raya [2025] MLJU 276.
Lee Kwan Woh lwn. Pendakwa Raya [2009] 5 MLJ 301.
Letitia Bosman lwn. Pendakwa Raya [2020] 5 MLJ 277.
Lim Chee Han, Chow Ying Ngeow, & Harchanadevi Arivananthan. (2018). High incidence of judicial errors in capital punishment cases in Malaysia. Penang Institute. https://penanginstitute.org/publications/issues/high-incidence-of-judicial-errors-in-capital-punishment-cases-in-malaysia/.
MADPET. (2022, 9 Oktober). Enact and enforce laws repealing mandatory death penalty before Malaysian Parliament is dissolved. The Online Citizen. https://www.theonlinecitizen.com/2022/10/09/madpet-enact-and-enforce-laws-repealing-mandatory-death-penalty-before-malaysian-parliament-is-dissolved/.
Mohd Helmi Anuar Mohd Kassim lwn. Pendakwa Raya [2026] CLJU 1285.
Mohd. Wasim Ali, & Khalid Khan (2024). Abolishing the death penalty: A crucial legal reform in Malaysia's criminal justice and Islamic law. Manchester Journal of Transnational Islamic Law and Practice, 20(3), 465– 469. https://www.electronicpublications.org/stuff/1150.
Muzammil Quraishi. (2020). Towards a Malaysian criminology: Conflict, censure and compromise. Palgrave Macmillan.
Neumayer, E. (2007). Death penalty: The political foundations of the global trend towards abolition. Human Rights Review, 9(2), 241–268. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12142-007-0044-0
Novak, A. (2015). The abolition of the mandatory death penalty in Bangladesh. Oxford University Commonwealth Law Journal, 15(2), 237–244.
Pendakwa Raya lwn. Datuk Harun bin Haji Idris [1977] 1 MLJ 15.
Pendakwa Raya lwn. Nur Hidayah bt Abdullah [2022] 11 MLJ 705.
Pendakwa Raya lwn. Kunasegaran Ragavanaidu & Ors [2021] 9 CLJ 266.
Perlembagaan Persekutuan.
President’s Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice. (2017). The challenge of crime in a free society. U.S. Government Printing Office.
Purba, N. (2016). Death penalty and human rights perspective. Journal of Law, Policy and Globalization, 49, 86–92. https://iiste.org/Journals/index.php/JLPG/article/view/30755#google_vignette
Rafidah Mat Ruzki, & Mohd Anwar Patho. (2020, 18 Februari). Undang-undang berkaitan dadah dipinda ikut keadaan semasa. Berita Harian. https://www.bharian.com.my/berita/nasional/2020/02/656789/undang-undang-berkaitan-dadah-dipinda-ikut-keadaan-semasa-pm
Ramalinggam Rajamanickam, & Thiyagu Ganesan. (2012). Pelaksanaan hukuman mati di Malaysia: Sejauh manakah kerelevanannya pada masa kini. International Conference on Arts, Social Sciences and Technology, Park Royal Hotel, Batu Feringgi, Penang.
Roma Ajani, Pegawai undang undang, Jabatan Bantuan Guaman Selangor. Temu bual pada 30 Julai 2025.
Saeid Reza Mohammadi lwn. Pendakwa Raya [2016] 4 MLJ 22.
Segu Alavudin, Rahmath Nisa, & Jal Zabdi. (2014). Hukuman mati: Satu tinjauan dari sudut sejarah perundangan di Malaysia. Dlm. International Conference on Law, Policy and Social Justice (ICLAPS 2014) (hlm. 10). Universiti Teknologi MARA.
Shamrahayu A Aziz (2022, 20 Ogos). Alasan penghakiman jelaskan keadilan ditegak tanpa diskriminasi. Berita Harian. https://api.bharian.com.my/rencana/lain-lain/2022/08/992566/alasan-penghakiman-jelaskan-keadilan-ditegak-tanpa-diskriminasi
Suhaizad Saifuddin, & Bernard Noel Beneldus. (2025). Perbuatan menggoda pasangan yang berkahwin: Pertimbangan undang-undang dan moral selepas pemansuhan Seksyen 498 Kanun Keseksaan. Kanun: Jurnal Undang-undang Malaysia, 37(1), 121–142. https://doi.org/10.37052/kanun.37(1)no6
Suhaizad Saifuddin, & Intan Shafinaz Mohamadi. (2025). Perlindungan hak tertuduh bagi kes jenayah syariah di Malaysia: Analisis perbandingan. Kanun: Jurnal Undang-undang Malaysia, 37(2), 311–340. https://doi.org/10.37052/kanun.37(2)no6/
Suhaizad Saifuddin, Fatimah Yusro Hashim, Mohd Zamre Mohd Zahir, & Asma Hakimah Ab Halim. (2025). Enforcement of sharia criminal offences in cyberspace: Challenges from Malaysian legal perspective. Prophetic Law Review, 7(1), 25–46. https://doi.org/10.20885/PLR.vol7.iss1.art.
Suruhanjaya Hak Asasi Malaysia. (2023, 16 November). Death penalty: SUHAKAM applauds government’s commitment to restorative justice, urges further reforms for procedural fairness. https://suhakam.org.my/ms/2023/11/press-statement-no-43-2023_death-penalty-suhakam-applauds-governments-commitment-to-restorative-justice-urges-further-reforms-for-procedural-fairness/?utm_source
Sunstein, C. R., & Vermeule, A. (2005). Is capital punishment morally required? Stanford Law Review, 58(3), 703–750.
Tali gantung gagal lawan dadah. (2022, 18 Jun). Harian Metro. https://www.hmetro.com.my/mutakhir/2022/06/853055/tali-gantung-gagal-lawandadah
Thaatchaayini Kananatu. (2022). Framing death penalty politics in Malaysia. International Journal for Crime, Justice and Social Democracy, 11(3), 57–66. https://doi.org/10.5204/ijcjsd.2476
Zulfaldy Shafieq Ali lwn. Pendakwa Raya [2025] CLJU 390.
Published
2026-07-30
How to Cite
VASANTHAN, Thurga; SAIFUDDIN, Suhaizad.
The Abolition of the Mandatory Death Penalty in Malaysia: An Analysis from the Perspectives of Human Rights and Criminal Justice.
Kanun: Jurnal Undang-undang Malaysia, [S.l.], v. 38, n. 2, july 2026.
ISSN 2682-8057.
Available at: <http://jurnal.dbp.my/index.php/Kanun/article/view/9282>. Date accessed: 21 aug. 2026.
doi: https://doi.org/10.37052/kanun.38(2)no2.
Section
Articles
