Govt close to finishing bill on enforcing death penalty, says President

President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu announced on Monday that the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) is close to fishing drafting a bill on enforcing the death penalty in the Maldives.

Speaking to reporters on Monday morning, President Muizzu said there are several death row convicts in the Maldives whose death penalty have been upheld all the way up to the Supreme Court.

He said that a simple set of regulations isn’t enough, and that enforcing the death penalty requires a strong legal framework.

President Muizzu said that the AGO has been working on drafting a bill to create a specific law on enforcing the death penalty, and is now close to finishing it.

He said that the government will be submitting the bill to the Parliament during its current session.

The Maldives has maintained a de facto moratorium on the death penalty since 1954.

But in 2023, President Muizzu’s administration announced plans to reinstate the death penalty, following a similar attempt made during former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom’s administration.