The future direction of death penalty in Malaysia and Turkiye

• Main Authors: Ismail, Siti Zubaidah, Majid, Wan Roslili
• Format: Conference or Workshop Item
• Language: English
• Subjects: Islam; K Law (General)
• Online Access: http://eprints.um.edu.my/44145/1/Zubaidah_THE%20FUTURE%20DIRECTION%20OF%20DEATH%20PENALTY%20IN%20MALAYSIA%20AND%20TURKIYE.pdf; http://eprints.um.edu.my/44145/

The world is moving towards abolishing the death penalty. Many countries have moved towards abolishing the death penalty and opt for alternative punishment such as life imprisonment. According to Amnesty International, as many as 108 countries have become abolitionist and already removed it from the law, 144 countries have removed it from the law and practice, while 55 countries are retentionist. The continued existence of the death penalty has created pressures on the retentionist countries including Malaysia to consider alternative penalty or total abolition. It was only recently that the government made the decision to abolish the mandatory without eliminating the death penalty. In Türkiye, the death penalty was abolished in 2014 and no prisoners have been executed since October 1984. However, according to public poll conducted in 2011, about 65% of people wanted it to be reinstated for certain crimes. In 2022, it was also reported that Türkiye will reconsider a 2014 decision to abolish death penalty, after tougher justice is needed to combat certain crimes in the country that happened in the country recently. The question that will be discussed by this paper is whether both countries are prepared to either becoming abolitionist or retentionist and if yes, to what extent are the readiness in the context of the legal amendment made so far. What are pro-active steps taken by both countries. Challenges from pro-abolition and human rights groups in both countries will also be addressed.