930 prisoners on death row yet to serve sentence

The Sun 
by Karen Arukesamy

KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 10, 2012): A total of 930 prisoners are on death row in Malaysia pending their appeals, the Home Ministry said today.

Deputy Home Minister Datuk Abu Seman Yusop said of this number, 725 have appealed to the courts while the remaining 205 have submitted their appeals to the Pardons Board.

"Every prisoner on death row has the right to appeal. They have yet to serve their sentence because of the appeals," he told the Dewan Rakyat.

According to the Prison Department statistics, the 930 are charged for various crimes including drug trafficking, murder, weapon, kidnap and national security.

“The death row convicts can appeal under Rule 114 of the Prison Regulations 2000.

“The Prison Department will assist the death row convicts if they wish to make the appeals and submit them to the State Pardons Board for further consideration,” Abu Seman said in reply to Karpal Singh (DAP-Bukit Gelugor).

Karpal had asked the Home Ministry to state the number of prisoners in death row in the country as of Aug 31.

Abu Seman said since the implementation of the Prison Regulation in 2001 till Aug 31, 2012, 41 prisoners in the death row have been pardoned.

“Their sentences have been reduced to natural life sentence for six prisoners, life imprisonment for 33 prisoners, early release for one prisoner, and immediate release for one prisoner,” he said.