SHAH ALAM, Aug 29 –— Over 1,300 inmates were on death row in Malaysia as of 2023, with the majority being men and more than half convicted of drug trafficking offences, according to the Home Minister.
“Based on statistics from the Prisons Department, as of December 31, 2023, there were 1,314 death row inmates, comprising 829 Malaysians and 485 non-citizens,” Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said in a Parliamentary written reply dated yesterday.
He said of the total, 1,192 were men and the remaining women.
By age, 64 inmates were 30 and below, 406 were 31-40, 496 were 41-50, 265 were 51-60, and 83 were above 60 years old.
Saifuddin added that the Kajang Prison recorded the highest number of inmates with 236, followed by Simpang Renggam (139), Tapah (124), Pokok Sena (101), and Kluang (99).
A total of 615 other inmates were distributed across 19 other prison facilities nationwide.
“The highest offence recorded was under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act (863 inmates), followed by Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder (422 inmates).”
Saifuddin said other crimes included gang robbery, offences against the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, firearms offences, and kidnapping.
