Mandatory death penalty abolished from July 4

 

The term of life imprisonment was set at between 30 and a maximum of 40 years in the Abolition of Mandatory Death Penalty Act which comes into force tomorrow.

PETALING JAYA: The abolition of the mandatory death penalty called for in several laws will come into effect tomorrow.

The date of July 4 was set in a ministerial order published in the Federal Gazette today, signed by law and institutional reform minister Azalina Othmain Said.

The Abolition of Mandatory Death Penalty Act 2023 was passed by Parliament in April.

Instead of the mandatory death penalty, provided in several laws, the Act provides for a sentence of a minimum of 30 years and not exceeding 40 years, with whipping of at least 12 strokes where such a sentence is provided.

Life imprisonment was set at a minimum of 30 years in some cases, and a maximum of 40 years.

Several laws were amended to remove the death penalty: These were: the Penal Code, Criminal Procedure Code, the Firearms (Increased Penalties) Act, the Arms Act, the Kidnapping Act, the Dangerous Drugs Act, and the Strategic Trade Act. - FMT