Malaysia
Death penalty and prisoners' rights · Archive since 1999
Data card
- Legal status
- Retentionist
- Executions recorded in 2026
- 0
- Executions recorded in 2025
- 0
- First news item in the archive
- JANUARY 1, 1999 · The death penalty is provided for by various laws
- News items in the archive
- 970
Source: Hands Off Cain database, updated to 2026.
Malaysia is classified as Retentionist in the Hands Off Cain database, updated to 2026. In 2026 the association recorded 0 executions in the country, against 0 the year before. The archive holds 970 news items on Malaysia, from 1999 to today.
Latest news
JUNE 26, 2024MalaysiaDEATH PENALTYMALAYSIA: FEDERAL COURT UPHOLDS DEATH SENTENCE OF FORMER BUSINESSMAN FOR MURDER OF UUM GRADUATE 18 YEARS AGO
The Federal Court in Putrajaya on May 29, 2024 upheld the death sentence of a former businessman for the murder of a female marketing executive 18 years ago.
- MAY 30, 2024MalaysiaDEATH PENALTY
MALAYSIA: JAPANESE HAS DEATH SENTENCE REDUCED TO 30-YEAR PRISON TERM
Malaysia's top court commuted the death sentence imposed on a Japanese woman for drug trafficking to 30 years in prison on May 29, 2024, following a judicial reform that eliminated mandatory capital punishment for illicit drug trade and several other seri
MAY 28, 2024MalaysiaDEATH PENALTYMALAYSIA: FOUR JOHOREANS SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING IN SABAH
Four Johoreans have been given the death penalty in Malaysia after they were found guilty of trafficking 34, 282.3 grams of drugs while travelling into Sandakan in 2020, The Star reported on May 9, 2024.
- MAY 27, 2024MalaysiaDEATH PENALTY
MALAYSIA: WOMAN'S DEATH SENTENCE COMMUTED TO 33 YEARS IN JAIL FOR MURDER
The Federal Court on May 20, 2024 commuted the death sentence of a woman who murdered her close friend by stabbing her seven times to 33 years in jail.
MAY 22, 2024MalaysiaDEATH PENALTYMALAYSIA: SIBU MAN HAS DEATH SENTENCE COMMUTED TO 40 YEARS’ JAIL IN 2013 TRIPLE MURDER
A 54-year-old man was spared the gallows on May 13, 2024 after the Federal Court commuted his death sentence for the 2013 murders of his wife and two children in Sibu to 40 years in prison.
MAY 8, 2024MalaysiaDEATH PENALTYMALAYSIA: APPEALS COURT COMMUTES DEATH SENTENCE FOR 2 TURTLE EGG COLLECTORS
The Court of Appeal in Putrajaya on May 7, 2024 commuted the death sentence imposed on two turtle egg collectors to 12 years imprisonment for causing the death of their colleague who was trying to break up a fight eight years ago.
- MAY 2, 2024MalaysiaDEATH PENALTY
MALAYSIA: EX-POLICEMEN'S DEATH SENTENCES COMMUTED TO 40 YEARS IN JAIL FOR KILLING MECHANIC
Two former policemen escaped the gallows after the Federal Court’s three-member panel on April 30, 2024 commuted the death sentences imposed on them to 40 years in jail for the murder of an Indonesian mechanic 18 years ago.
APRIL 18, 2024MalaysiaDEATH PENALTYMALAYSIA: 54 PRISONERS ESCAPE DEATH SENTENCE, SENTENCES COMMUTED TO 30-38 YEARS JAIL
A total of 54 prisoners escaped death by hanging in Malaysia, after the Federal Court, sitting at the High Court in Kota Baru, Malaysia, on April 18, 2024, commuted their sentences to imprisonment between 30 and 38 years.
- MARCH 28, 2024MalaysiaDEATH PENALTY
MALAYSIA: TWO FILIPINAS ESCAPE DEATH SENTENCE AFTER APEX COURT GRANTS 30 YEARS’ JAIL FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING
Two Filipinas, who had been on death row in Malaysia since 2013, were granted a reprieve when the Federal Court on March 26, 2024 granted them a revision of their sentence, bringing it down to 30 years’ jail.
MARCH 20, 2024MalaysiaDEATH PENALTYMALAYSIA: MAN GETS DEATH FOR 200KG OF DRUGS IN TAWAU
A mechanic was sentenced to death by the Tawau High Court on March 8, 2024 for trafficking nearly 200kg of syabu.
- MARCH 19, 2024MalaysiaDEATH PENALTY
MALAYSIA: DEATH SENTENCE OF CAMBODIAN MAN COMMUTED TO 60 YEARS IN PRISON FOR CAUSING DEATH
A Cambodian man, who was convicted of murdering two boys and two women, breathed a sigh of relief on March 12, 2024 after his death sentence was commuted to 60 years imprisonment by the Court of Appeal in Putrajaya.
- MARCH 14, 2024MalaysiaDEATH PENALTY
MALAYSIA: TWO MEN GET DEATH SENTENCES COMMUTED
Two death sentences on March 13, 2024 were commuted in separate rulings at the Federal Court and Court of Appeal, in Putrajaya
FEBRUARY 6, 2024MalaysiaDEATH PENALTYMALAYSIA: 5 ON DEATH ROW IN SABAH SPARED THE GALLOWS
Five prisoners on death row in Sabah on February 5, 2024 saw their capital punishment substituted to imprisonment by the Federal Court.
- JANUARY 11, 2024MalaysiaDEATH PENALTY
MALAYSIA: APEX COURT AFFIRMS DEATH SENTENCE OF EX-GUARD WHO MURDERED COLLEAGUES
The Putrajaya Federal Court on January 4, 2024 unanimously affirmed the death sentence imposed on a former security guard for murdering his two colleagues, seven years ago.
- DECEMBER 13, 2023MalaysiaDEATH PENALTY
MALAYSIA: DEATH SENTENCE COMMUTED, WORKER GETS 33 YEARS FOR KILLING FOREMAN
A Bangladeshi man escaped the gallows after the Federal Court in Putrajaya on December 23, 2023 commuted his death sentence to 33 years in jail for murdering his fellow countryman.
- DECEMBER 7, 2023MalaysiaDEATH PENALTY
MALAYSIA: COURT COMMUTES DEATH SENTENCES OF 9 TRAFFICKERS TO 30 YEARS’ JAIL
A 76-year-old former security guard on death row was among nine men who saw their death sentences commuted to 30 years’ jail under the temporary jurisdiction accorded to the Federal Court by law, FMT reported on December 6, 2023.
- NOVEMBER 22, 2023MalaysiaDEATH PENALTY
MALAYSIA: APPEAL COURT COMMUTES DEATH SENTENCE TO 30 YEARS JAIL FOR DRUG TRAFFICKERS
A former mechanic and a former cosmetician, convicted of two counts of trafficking drugs, had their death sentences commuted to 30 years in prison on November 22, 2023 by the Court of Appeal.
NOVEMBER 19, 2023MalaysiaDEATH PENALTYMALAYSIA: 95.8% DEATH ROW AND LIFE PRISON INMATES APPLIED FOR SENTENCE REVIEW AFTER MANDATORY DEATH PENALTY REMOVED
978 out of 1,020 death row and natural life imprisonment inmates have applied to have their sentence reviewed since Nov 9, said the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said on November 14, 2
- NOVEMBER 16, 2023MalaysiaDEATH PENALTY
MALAYSIA: APEX COURT COMMUTES DEATH PENALTY AND NATURAL-LIFE IMPRISONMENT OF 11 CONVICTED FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING
A total of 11 individuals convicted for drug trafficking became the first batch of inmates to have their death sentence and natural-life imprisonment commuted under the Revision of Sentence of Death and Imprisonment for Natural Life (Temporary Jurisdictio
NOVEMBER 6, 2023MalaysiaDEATH PENALTYMALAYSIA: APPEALS COURT COMMUTES WELDER’S DEATH SENTENCE TO 35 YEARS’ JAIL FOR KILLING HOUSEWIFE
A welder escaped the gallows in Malaysia on November 6, 2023 after the Court of Appeal commuted the death sentence imposed on him by the High Court to 35 years in jail for killing a housewife.
OCTOBER 9, 2023MalaysiaDEATH PENALTYMALAYSIA: APPEALS COURT COMMUTES DEATH SENTENCE ON LOVERS FOR MURDER TO 30 YEARS IMPRISONMENT
A Malaysian Court of Appeal on October 5, 2023 commuted the death sentence imposed on a pair of lovers to 30 years in prison for the murder of a five-year-old boy, who is the son of the accused female, nine years ago.
AUGUST 23, 2023MalaysiaDEATH PENALTYMALAYSIA: COUPLE'S DEATH SENTENCE COMMUTED TO 40 YEARS JAIL FOR MURDERING DAUGHTER
A married couple escaped the gallows in Malaysia after the Court of Appeal on August 23, 2023 commuted their death sentence to a maximum jail sentence of 40 years for murdering their daughter.
AUGUST 7, 2023MalaysiaDEATH PENALTYMALAYSIA: TWO TO HANG FOR KILLING SIBU SENIOR CITIZEN TO GET DRUG MONEY
Two men were sentenced to the gallows by the Sibu High Court on July 31, 2023 for robbing and murdering a senior citizen for money to buy drugs.
AUGUST 3, 2023MalaysiaDEATH PENALTYMALAYSIA: TWO FOREIGNERS WERE SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR MURDER OF GRAB DRIVER
Two foreigners were sentenced to death by the High Court in Shah Alam on July 28, 2023 after they were found guilty of the murder of a local Grab driver five years ago.
JULY 20, 2023MalaysiaDEATH PENALTYMALAYSIA: RELIEF FOR KENYAN WOMAN FACING DEATH SENTENCE
The Court of Appeal in Malaysia on July 20, 2023 handed a Kenyan woman a lesser sentencing after reviewing her case in which she was found guilty of trafficking drugs and other illegal substances.
- JULY 5, 2023MalaysiaDEATH PENALTY
MALAYSIA: LAW FOR REVIEW OF DEATH SENTENCE NOT IN FORCE YET, SAYS RAMKARPAL
Close to 1,000 prisoners on death row or serving natural life jail terms will have to wait before filing applications to the Federal Court for a review of their sentences under a law passed by Parliament recently, Free Malaysia Today reported on July 4, 2
JULY 4, 2023MalaysiaDEATH PENALTYMALAYSIA: LAW TO ABOLISH MANDATORY DEATH PENALTY TAKES EFFECT ON JULY 4
The Abolition of the Mandatory Death Penalty Act 2023 (Act 846) will come into force in Malaysia on July 4, 2023.
- APRIL 3, 2023MalaysiaDEATH PENALTY
MALAYSIA: LOWER HOUSE VOTES TO ABOLISH MANDATORY DEATH PENALTY
The Dewan Rakyat, or lower house, of Malaysia’s Parliament on 3 April 2023 approved legal reforms to abolish the mandatory death penalty for some offences.
MARCH 29, 2023MalaysiaDEATH PENALTYMALAYSIA: ‘DON’T ABOLISH MANDATORY DEATH PENALTY’, PROFESSOR MUZAFFAR SAYS
The government should consider retaining the death penalty for serious and heinous crimes, Dr Muzaffar Syah Mallow said on 26 March 2023.
- MARCH 28, 2023MalaysiaDEATH PENALTY
MALAYSIA: BILL TO ABOLISH MANDATORY DEATH PENALTY TABLED FOR FIRST READING
The Abolition of Mandatory Death Penalty Bill 2023 was tabled for first reading in the Dewan Rakyat (Lower House) on 27 March 2023.