Malaysia's Top Court Commutes Death Sentences, Life Terms for 11 Convicts

Landmark Decision Follows Capital Punishment Reforms, Nearly 1,000 Applications for Re-Sentencing Submitted

Malaysia's top court has commuted the death sentences and natural-life prison terms of 11 people convicted of drug trafficking, including two Thai nationals.
The decision follows capital punishment reforms passed earlier this year, which removed the mandatory death penalty for crimes including drug trafficking and murder.
Judges now have discretion on whether to impose capital punishment and natural-life terms have been replaced with a jail term of between 30 to 40 years.
Nearly 1,000 people facing capital punishment or natural-life terms have submitted applications for re-sentencing.
The hearing comes just days after Sirul Azhar Umar, a former Malaysian policeman who fled the country to escape the death penalty in 2015, was freed from immigration detention in Australia.