Selangor Sultan spares man from gallows

Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah has granted a pardon to Shahrul Izani Suparman who was on death row after being convicted of drug possession.

At a press conference today, Amnesty International Malaysia executive director Shamini Darshni said Shahrul's family was informed of this on Monday, although it would appear that the pardon was issued late last year.

"The family has been told Shahrul may apply for clemency in another four years," said Shamini.

She explained that the sentence has been commuted and that the death sentence had been commuted to life imprisonment. Shahrul is now scheduled for release in 2030.

Shahrul's mother Sapina Nawawi said she and her family are overwhelmed by the news.

"We have been praying for this for so long," she said.

Shahrul was found guilty of having 622g of cannabis, a violation of Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 which carries a mandatory death penalty.

He was 18 years old at the time of the incident. He has spent 14 years in jail.

Mom: Son wants to study

According to his mother, the drugs were found in the basket of a borrowed motorcycle that Shahrul was using at the time of his arrest.

She claimed that the motorcycle was often shared by villagers.

Sapina said she hoped that her son would be eligible for early release on good behaviour.

"When Shahrul comes out, he told me that he wants to further his studies and eventually start a business.

"He never had the opportunity to do so as this all happened when he was only 18. He was very good at arts and sciences when he was in school," said Sapina.

Shahrul will be 33 years old in March and 46 when he is scheduled for released.

Shamini said Amnesty International said Shahrul may have won this battle, the war against the death penalty world wide must continue. 

"In an imperfect world with a fallible justice system, it is never justified to take a life. The death penalty is irreversible and final," she said, adding that Malaysia must impose a moratorium on the use of the death penalty for all cases.-Mkini