MALAYSIA. LAW MINISTER SUPPORTS CALLS TO ABOLISH DEATH PENALTY

Nazri Aziz, Malaysian Cabinet Minister in charge of law in the Prime Minister’s Department, said he supported calls for abolishing Malaysia’s death penalty, which was largely used against drug traffickers.
“For me, a life is a life. No one has the right to take someone else’s life, even if that person has taken another life,” Nazri was quoted as saying. Nazri was responding to an announcement by the Malaysian Bar Council that it would campaign for abolishment of the death penalty.
“I welcome this proposal. This is definitely something which should be looked into,” Nazri was quoted as saying.
The Malaysian Bar Council had also called for an immediate moratorium on all death sentences pending amendments to the law. But Nazri said that was not possible.
“The death sentence has been part of our laws for a long time. It goes with the fabric of the whole system. After discussions are held, hopefully the attorney general will advise the government,” he said.