Federal Court has rejected 19 death row inmates’ applications to escape death sentence

KUALA LUMPUR: Attempts by 19 death row inmates to escape the gallows failed after their applications to commute their sentences were rejected by the Federal Court, said Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said.

“Of the completed review of the death sentences for 474 applications, a total of 19 review applications were rejected.

“Their death sentences remained, among others, for those involved in charges for murder with more than one victim or involving the murder of children,” the Minister in charge of Law and Institutional Reforms said in a written reply in Dewan Rakyat on Tuesday. (June 25).

In her reply to Syerleena Abdul Rashid (PH-Bukit Bendera), Azalina said that a total of 936 review applications were so far made by death row inmates to commute their death sentences.

Syerleena wanted to know how many death sentences were reviewed by the Federal Court and how many death sentences remained between Nov 14, 2023 and May 31 this year.

ALSO READ: Law to abolish mandatory death penalty takes effect on July 4

On July 4 last year, the Abolition of the Mandatory Death Penalty Act 2023 came into force.

A total of 11 offences, which previously carried the mandatory death sentences, were affected by the new law.

Under the Review of Death Penalty and Life Imprisonment Act 2023 (Federal Court Temporary Jurisdiction), death row inmates have 90 days to seek a review of their sentence by the Federal Court.

The Federal Court can revise death sentences and substitute them with life imprisonment – between 30 and 40 years – and between six and 12 strokes of the rotan, depending on the crime.

However, the death penalty can still be meted out, according to the court’s discretion for offences such as murder, terrorist acts and hostage-taking.

Previous attempts to abolish the mandatory death penalty had been unsuccessful, although a moratorium on hangings has been in place since 2018 involving some 1,300 death row inmates.