The Malaysian government is moving to abolish the death penalty and planning to table its position in the next Parliament sitting, said Liew Vui Keong, the minister in charge of law in the Prime Minister’s Department, Free Malaysia Today reports. Last month, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad came to the defense of a man facing the death penalty for selling cannabis oil to patients, saying his sentence should be reviewed. The effect of abolishing the mandatory death penalty will restore judicial discretion when it comes to sentencing, writes Charles Hector for Malaysia Kini. Judges will thereafter be able to evaluate each and every convicted person and determine what the just and fair sentence should be, after taking into account all factors and circumstances.