Home minister Umar Naseer speaks to reporters at the home ministry on April 27, 2014. HAVEERU PHOTO/ MOHAMED SHARUHAAN
The home ministry on Sunday gazetted the recently drafted regulations on death penalty, with immediate effect
The first cabinet discussion on the death penalty had been conducted on February 9. That discussion resulted in the cabinet having decided to draft detailed regulations on how actions will be taken in investigations and prosecutions with regards to the death penalty.
Explaining the regulations, home minister Umar Naseer told reporters that the president must order the implementation of the death sentence within three days of the sentence being pronounced. However, the accused will have opportunity to mediate with the beneficiaries of the deceased before the President orders the death penalty, he said.
According to the new regulation, the Islamic ministry will be responsible for overseeing the mediation process.
Umar stressed that the beneficiaries of the deceased should be consulted even before the execution of the death sentence. If any of them refuses, the sentence would be not be executed, he said.
The minister noted that the death penalty would be executed at Maafushi Prison and would be witnessed by the Commissioner of Prisons, three members of the public, a state attorney and a medical doctor.
"Facilities needed for the execution of death penalty are being established at Maafushi Prison," Umar said.
The cabinet had previously suggested lethal injection as the method of executing death penalty.
The latest death sentence was handed to Hussain Humam, the prime suspect in the murder of former Ungoofaru MP Dr Afrasheem Ali.
Twenty people have been sentenced to death so far. High Court overturned the sentence of one of the convicts, whilst the rest have been stalled at the appeal court.
http://www.haveeru.com.mv/news/54607
Bookmarks