CHAPTER 3 - REPORT OF THE LAW REFORM AND INTERNATIONAL TREATIES WORKING GROUP (b) Courtesy Visit to the Judiciary In December, the Commission paid a courtesy visit to the judiciary to meet the newly-appointed Chief Justice, the Right Honourable Tan Sri Arifin Zakaria, and other senior judges. The visit was mainly for the Commission to discuss the planned colloquium with the judiciary to be held in 2012. With the Chief Justice’s approval for the judges to participate in the colloquium, the Commission will begin preparations for the programme which aims, among others, to promote human rights within the judiciary. The Commission took the opportunity to seek the Chief Justice’s views on certain human rights concerns, such as the recognition and the implementation of human rights principles in court, and the death penalty in Malaysia. The Commission also sought better cooperation from the judiciary, to open up opportunities for the promotion of human rights. 3. DEATH PENALTY The Commission has been calling for the abolition of the death penalty, as such punishment is considered to be To strengthen the call for the abolition of the death penalty, the cruel, inhuman Commission with the Delegation of the European Union to Malaysia and and degrading. The Commission has been calling for the abolition of the death penalty, as such punishment is considered to be cruel, inhuman and degrading. Pending eventual abolition, it is recommended that the Government considers a moratorium on the death penalty or commuting this form of punishment to life imprisonment, especially for those who have been on death row for more than five years. the Bar Council jointly organised a public seminar in October. The co-organisers welcomed the keynote address by the Hon Dato’ Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz, the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, who in his individual capacity showed support for the abolition of the death penalty in Malaysia. The speakers from the All-Party Parliamentary Group on the Abolition of the Death Penalty, House of Lords, United Kingdom, Malaysians against Death Penalty and Torture and Amnesty International Malaysia presented strong views, refuting the idea that the death penalty deters potential criminals. They cited examples of countries, particularly in Europe, that have abolished the sentence; there has been no evidence to show that this has caused the crime rate to rise. While the Commission remains firm on the call to abolish the death penalty, it recognises that there are strong views in support of the death penalty especially in murder cases. The Commission is currently involved in a public survey, led by a team from Universiti Malaya, to gather public opinions on the death penalty. 57