[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

July 9




MALAYSIA:

Gov't should not wait to amend law, say anti-death penalty groups


The government must stop dragging its feet in amending the death penalty law, 
following the recent announcement that a review of capital punishment in 
Malaysia has been completed.

Anti-death penalty groups have urged for prompt reform, saying that proposed 
changes to capital punishment sentences were overdue.

"The attorney-general has said he is not objecting (to reform of mandatory 
death sentences) last November. (Minister in Prime Minister's Department) Nancy 
Shukri has already said she will table the amendments in March 2016. The study 
was commissioned quite some time ago.

"The government should table the proposed amendments speedily. Delay in 
amending the law is 'torturous' for those still under the death sentence by 
reason of the existence of the mandatory death penalty provisions in law," 
Malaysians Against Death Penalty and Torture (Madpet) coordinator Charles 
Hector told Malaysiakini.

Meanwhile, regional grouping Anti-Death Penalty Asia Network (Adpan) cited 
Malaysia's response at the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) report in front of 
UN member countries in late 2013.

"The Malaysian government has, time and again, announced that this study was 
underway, in response to the UPR review, as well as in response to calls by 
NGOs for it to abolish the death penalty," said Adpan executive member Ngeow 
Chow Ying.

While waiting for change to happen, they called for all executions to be halted 
and sentences commuted.

"The government should announce a moratorium on executions now until the 
amended laws come into force.

"The government should ensure that those facing the mandatory death penalty 
will have their sentences commuted to imprisonment," said Hector.

Nancy announced the completion of the study on capital punishment in Malaysia 
at the Sixth World Congress Against the Death Penalty in Oslo, Norway, last 
month.

"There are positive signs in Malaysia, and a steady momentum towards possible 
change in the death penalty legislation," Nancy said in a brief statement 
during a panel to kick off the international meeting.

Executions continue

Commissioned by the Malaysian government and carried out by the International 
Centre for Law and Legal Studies (I-Cells), the study, however, took more than 
3 years to complete.

Regional grouping Anti-Death Penalty Asia Network (Adpan) said it was 
disappointed with the lack of significance of the minister's speech.

"I expected a more substantial speech - at the very least, a summary of the 
report which had taken more than 3 years to complete.

"I am skeptical of the pace of reform, considering the state of Malaysia's 
human rights record and the political environment at present," said Ngeow.

Amnesty International Malaysia executive director Shamini Darshni Kaliemuthu 
pointed out that despite the government's reform promise, executions were 
carried out even during the review period.

"While studies on death penalty reforms were conducted, Malaysia continued to 
execute death row inmates, with the last known executions being the triple 
executions on 25 March, 2016," Shamini told Malaysiakini.

She said according to Amnesty International's Death Sentences & Executions 2015 
report, Malaysia was among 25 countries which executed people in 2015 and 1 of 
61 countries that handed out death sentences last year.

The proposed reforms are a "positive step forward" for Malaysia but the NGO, 
which opposes both mandatory and discretionary death sentences, said the 
amendments may not be as progressive as hoped for by civil society.

"From what we understand, these reforms may be restricted to the mandatory 
death penalty for drug-related offences," said Shamini.

Hector echoed similar concerns.

"Now, the talk is about abolishing mandatory death penalty when earlier, it was 
about abolishing death penalty," he said.

(source: malaysiakioni.com)






THAILAND:

PM orders sentence review


Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has ordered the Justice Ministry to review the 
sentence-remission process for rapists and murderers after the latest upsurge 
of these crimes.

According to Prayut, Thai laws are quite strong in these cases with severe 
punishments, including the option for the death penalty for both offences.

But he said a major weakness might lie in the process of granting pardons to 
many of those convicted in such cases, resulting in much shorter jail terms 
than the original punishments ordered by courts.

Prayut said justice and related authorities would have to be more strict when 
examining whether to reduce penalties for people convicted of these crimes, 
while society should brainstorm for new measures to tackle this problem.

The prime minister, who earlier rejected calls for capital punishment for all 
rape and murder cases, added that Thailand's legal actions should be consistent 
with universal values.

His remarks followed the case of Chularat Towanna, a provincial schoolteacher 
brutally murdered in a rape attempt in Saraburi province.

The crime took place at the victim's apartment in Kaeng Khoi district on July 
1. Chatri Ruamsoonnerm, who lived in the same apartment, was arrested and 
admitted to stabbing her to death after he attempted to rape her.

(source: nationmultimedia.com)