Malaysia Scraps Mandatory Death Penalty

Malaysia on Monday dropped the mandatory death penalty and abolished natural-life prison sentences.

Deputy law minister Ramkarpal Singh said; "The death penalty has not brought the results it was intended to bring."

Under the amendments passed on Monday, alternatives to the death penalty include whipping and imprisonment of between 30 to 40 years.

The new jail term will replace all previous provisions that call for imprisonment for the duration of the offender's natural life.

Life imprisonment sentences, defined by Malaysian law as a fixed term of 30 years, will be retained.

Capital punishment will also be removed as an option for some serious crimes that do not cause death.

This includes discharging and trafficking of a firearm and kidnapping.

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