Malaysia reviews death penalty moratorium and child murder sentencing

The Malaysian federal government is reviewing the status of its death penalty moratorium, which has been in effect since 2018, to determine whether it should be maintained or ended.

As part of legal system improvements, officials are also proposing an amendment to Section 97 of the Child Act 2001. This amendment seeks to replace the current provision, which allows children convicted of murder to be detained indefinitely, with a fixed 20-year detention period. This term would remain subject to the consideration of the State Pardons Board.

In a separate discussion regarding capital punishment reform, Bukit Gelugor MP Ramkarpal Singh urged the government to consider abolishing the death penalty for offenses other than murder. He noted that following the 2023 reforms, many non-murder death sentences have been commuted to prison terms of 30 to 40 years, and drug trafficking cases seeking review have reportedly seen sentence reductions.