The Aliran civil rights group expressed concern over the lack of a timeframe or deadline for making the change. “What happens to the 1,341 people currently on death row? How long must they live with this uncertainty?” the group said.

Aliran also asked if any thought had been given to families of those who had been executed and who may need counselling.

The government announced yesterday that mandatory death sentences on 11 offences would be removed, to give judges discretion in sentencing.

Law minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said the government had yet to set a timeframe for this, as there were areas that needed to be looked into. This included the proposal to set up a tribunal to study cases of those who had been handed the mandatory death sentence.

Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the death penalty would remain for capital offences, but there would no longer be mandatory death sentences.