Malaysia Commutes 68 Death Sentences of Indonesian Inmates to Life Imprisonment

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Malaysian government has granted a change in criminal sentences for 68 Indonesian citizens who were initially sentenced to death. Malaysian Home Affairs Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail stated that the change occurred after the convicts filed an appeal to the Federal Court of Malaysia.

"68 out of 70 of inmates have had their death sentences commuted to life imprisonment," Saifuddin told a press conference at the Coordinating Ministry for Law, Human Rights, Immigration, and Corrections office in South Jakarta on Tuesday, February 25, 2025.

Saifuddin stated that the Malaysian government recently implemented legal reforms. In the amended regulations, convicts who have been sentenced to the death penalty are allowed to appeal to the highest court.

The legal rule modifications also altered the mandatory death penalty provisions stated in the law. However, the authority to impose penalties is now in the hands of the court judges.

Apart from Indonesia, Saifuddin mentioned that there are 48 countries whose citizens have also been sentenced to death in Malaysia.

As of now, there are approximately 5,000 Indonesian citizens who are in conflict with criminal law in Malaysia. Saifuddin categorized this number based on Indonesians who have been sentenced and those who are still undergoing trial. They are currently detained by the Malaysian authorities.

The Indonesian and Malaysian governments plan to repatriate their respective citizens. Saifuddin stated that the Malaysian government will discuss and determine the mechanism for repatriating the Indonesians who have been convicted by their authorities.

According to Saifuddin, following international law, both countries should have an agreement in the form of an International Transfer of Prisoners (ITOP) for repatriating convicts. However, Malaysia and Indonesia have not signed the agreement due to the absence of a law regarding prisoner transfers. Nevertheless, Saifuddin stated that this is not a problem.

He mentioned that the repatriation of convicts can be carried out without the need for a formal agreement to be signed. "Another effort is through discussions between the two countries which we call The Working Levels," he said.

He also highlighted Indonesia's government action in repatriating a number of convicts to their home country by pursuing a practical agreement. "That's exactly like what the Indonesian government has done with several other countries," said Saifuddin.

Source: tempo.co, Staff, February 25, 2025

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