A bill to abolish the death penalty was, on Monday, approved by Malaysia’s parliament

Although the bill does not abolish the death penalty, it does give judges the discretion to impose lengthy prison terms of between 30 and 40 years in certain circumstances.

In his speech to the lower house of parliament, Ramkarpal Singh, Malaysia’s deputy law minister, argued that the nation could no longer willfully disregard the existence of every person’s inherent right to life.

Previously, death sentences were automatically imposed upon conviction for a number of crimes, including murder and drug trafficking, leaving judges with no discretion.

Since 2018, there hasn’t been an execution in Malaysia, but judges have still sent prisoners to death row. Although the reform still needs to pass the senate, there is little doubt that it won’t face significant opposition.

Phil Robertson, the deputy director for Asia at Human Rights Watch, hailed Monday’s vote as an “important step forward for Malaysia” and expressed hope that it would increase pressure on other Southeast Asian countries to do the same.

The nation executed 11 people in 2022, all of whom were drug offenders.