Malaysia To Abolish Death Penalty

A proposed bill on abolishing capital punishment is likely to be discussed by the government when the Malaysian parliament meets on Monday.

"All death penalty will be abolished. Full stop," a Channel NewsAsia report cited Law Minister Liew Vui Keong as saying.

Keong called for a halt on all executions until the decision is in effect, saying: "Since we are abolishing the sentence, all executions should not be carried out." "We will inform the Pardons Board to look into various applications for convicts on the [death penalty] waiting list to either be commuted or released," he said.

Communications and Multimedia Minister Gobind Singh Deo confirmed that the cabinet, which met on Wednesday, had resolved to end the death penalty.  "I hope the law will be amended soon," he told AFP news agency.