CHAPTER 1 3. ANTI-DEATH PENALTY In June, the Commission was invited by Ensemble Contre La Peine De Mort (ECPM) to participate in the 6th World Congress Against the Death Penalty held in Oslo, Norway. The World Congress was held from 21-23 June 2016 and attended by experts and key actors from various countries who fight for the abolition of the death penalty, including prominent lawyers, journalists, medical experts, international civil society actors, high-level political representatives and NHRIs. Throughout the event, the Commission learned of the many challenges and experiences undergone by the presenters and affected parties in their efforts to abolish the death penalty. The participants were also exposed to best practices and strategic methods from various experts to encourage their Governments to review their stand on the application of the death penalty in their countries. Apart from the Congress, on 5 September 2016, the Commission attended the first meeting of the ‘Jawatankuasa bagi Membincangkan Pelaksanaan Hukuman Mati di Malaysia’ held at the Parliament House of Malaysia. The meeting was well-attended by the relevant stakeholders including representatives from the Attorney-General’s Chambers, MOHA, National Security Council (MKN), Malaysian Prison Department, RMP, Malaysian Bar Council, Amnesty International Malaysia, as well as Members of Parliament and several academicians. The purpose of the meeting was to share updates of the paper presented to the Cabinet on the abolishment of the death penalty and to obtain views and responses from the stakeholders regarding this issue. The meeting was chaired by YB Dato’ Sri Azalina Othman Said, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office. The Commission welcomes the initiative taken by the Government to explore the possibility of abolishment of the mandatory death penalty for offences under the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952. The Commission is of the opinion that as a step further, the Government should also consider restoring the discretionary power of judges and to review the relevance and effectiveness of capital punishment for all other criminal offences. This is in line with the Commission’s call for the abolition of the death penalty as it is cruel, inhuman, and degrading as well as against one’s right to life and security. 4. THE WAY FORWARD While the actions by the Government has shown an increase in its effort to address serious human rights issues such as sexual crimes against children through the Child Sexual Crimes Bill, there is still much to be done to raise the awareness of human rights amongst politicians and key Government officials in addressing the rights of vulnerable groups and upholding the fundamental 44 SUHAKAM ANNUAL REPORT 2016 suhakam 2new.indd 44 3/23/17 5:54 PM