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KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia's top court on Tuesday (Nov 14) commuted the death sentences and natural-life prison terms of 11 people convicted of drug trafficking, including two Thai nationals, following capital punishment reforms passed earlier this year, state news agency Bernama reported.
All 11, including seven death row inmates, had their sentences reduced to life imprisonment of 30 years each, in the first batch of cases being reviewed by the Federal Court following the reforms, Bernama reported.
Malaysian lawmakers in April voted to remove the mandatory death penalty for crimes including drug trafficking and murder, allowing judges to use their discretion on whether to impose capital punishment.
The amendments also saw penalties that call for imprisonment for the duration of the offender's natural life replaced with a jail term of between 30 to 40 years.
Malaysia's Law Minister Azalina Othman Said said nearly 1,000 people facing capital punishment or natural-life terms have submitted applications for re-sentencing, adding that the process reflected the government's commitment to upholding human rights.
"Today is a historic day... This proves that the principle of restorative justice in Malaysia's criminal justice system is always maintained," she said in a statement issued prior to the court hearing.
The hearing comes just days after Sirul Azhar Umar, a former Malaysian policeman who fled the country to escape the death penalty in 2015, was freed from immigration detention in Australia. Australian law forbids the deportation of people to places where they face the death penalty.
Sirul, a former bodyguard of ex-Prime Minister Najib Razak, was convicted along with another police officer for the 2006 murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu, a 28-year-old Mongolian model and interpreter.
Sirul has not said whether he plans to seek a sentencing review under the new reforms, but Malaysia's home minister told reporters on Tuesday he has the right to apply for one.
Source: Reuters
马来西亚减刑11名毒犯死刑和无期徒刑
吉隆坡——据国家通讯社马新社报道，继今年早些时候通过死刑改革后，马来西亚最高法院周二（11 月 14 日）对 11 名被判贩毒罪的人（其中包括两名泰国公民）的死刑和自然终身监禁进行了减刑。
据马新社报道，在改革后联邦法院审查的第一批案件中，包括七名死囚在内的所有 11 名囚犯的刑期均被减至 30 年无期徒刑。
马来西亚立法者四月投票取消对贩毒和谋杀等犯罪的强制性死刑，允许法官酌情决定是否判处死刑。
修正案还规定，将罪犯的终身监禁改为 30 至 40 年监禁。
马来西亚法律部长阿扎丽娜·奥斯曼·赛义德表示，近 1000 名面临死刑或自然终身监禁的人已提交重新判刑申请，并补充说，这一过程反映了政府维护人权的承诺。
“今天是历史性的一天......这证明马来西亚刑事司法系统始终坚持恢复性司法原则，”她在法庭听证会前发表的一份声明中说。
听证会召开前几天，前马来西亚警察西鲁·爱资哈尔·奥马尔 (Sirul Azhar Umar) 于 2015 年逃离该国以逃避死刑，并在澳大利亚从移民拘留所获释。 澳大利亚法律禁止将人驱逐到面临死刑的地方。
西鲁是前总理纳吉布·拉扎克的前保镖，他与另一名警察因 2006 年谋杀 28 岁的蒙古模特兼翻译阿旦杜亚·沙里布 (Altantuya Shaariibuu) 而被定罪。
西鲁没有透露他是否计划根据新改革寻求量刑复审，但马来西亚内政部长周二告诉记者，他有权申请复审。
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