Malaysia Might Put an End to Mandatory Death & Whipping Sentences by 2023

By Karissa Lund  •  06 Sep 2022 in News

Thirsty for JUICE content? Quench your cravings on our Instagram, TikTok and WhatsApp

Over 70% of the countries in the world have abolished the death penalty and it looks like Malaysia will be joining that percentage soon.

According to The Star, minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Parliament and Law) Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said that Malaysia will abolish the mandatory death and whipping sentences by next year, with amendments to the laws to be tabled in Parliament next month.

Wan Junaidi said that judges will be given the discretion to hand down the two sentences instead if the amendments are passed.

“If everything goes well and there are no disruptions to the coming Budget session, we will no longer have the mandatory death sentence in 2023. This will also apply to whipping as it will be left to the discretion of the judges,” said Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar (pic).

The amendments will be proposed during the Parliament meeting starting 3 Oct.

On whipping, Wan Junaidi said the proposed amendments would not do away with the punishment, but again give judges the discretion on whether to impose it.

He noted that there might be instances where a judge might say no to whipping in some cases, but impose it on “sadistic” offenders who cause hurt to their victims.

“Personally, I view whipping as very brutal and violent and simply inhumane. This is why I am suggesting that judges have the discretion to impose the punishment,” he said, adding that most offenders suffer open wounds with many fainting after three strokes.

To refresh, the abolition of the mandatory death sentence was first raised by the Pakatan Harapan administration in 2018. A moratorium on execution was then implemented.

Instead of focusing on preventing crime and violence, many argued that the death penalty does not address the root causes of it. Issues such as mental health, housing, access to education and sustainable employment options should be addressed to stop the cycle of crimes and violence.