860 Prisoners Sent To The Gallows

KUALA LUMPUR, March 26 (Bernama) — A total of 860 prisoners have been sentenced to death for murder, drug trafficking, firearms offences and kidnapping up to Feb 28, this year.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, however, told the Dewan Rakyat Monday that the sentences could not be carried out yet as the cases were still going through the appeal process.

“Out of the number, 616 cases are still with the Appeals Court, 94 with the Federal Court and 150 with the Pardons Board,” he said in his written reply to Liew Chin Tong (DAP-Bukit Bendera).

Liew had asked whether the government had agreed with the death sentence moratorium and for statistics on prisoners awaiting the death sentence to be carried out.

Hishammuddin also said that 79,487 prisoners had been sentenced to receive whipping since 2005 until the end of 2011.

Out of this number, 46,338 or 58.3 per cent were locals and 33,149 or 41.7 per cent, foreigners.

BERNAMA