Malaysia's home minister on Thursday denied his country carried out executions in secret as claimed in a recent report by human rights group Amnesty International.
Amnesty, in a report on death sentences and executions on Tuesday, said "many countries carry out executions in secret and refuse to divulge any information on the use of the death penalty."
It said these countries include China, Singapore, Malaysia and Mongolia.
"We do not have secret killings, as anyone who commits a crime here has to go through the process of law. We cannot simply kill people, Malaysia is a country of law," home minister Syed Hamid Albar told state news agency Bernama.
"I don't know how they could come up with such a report. Did they meet and speak to anyone or just listen to rumours?" he added.
Amnesty International Malaysia coordinator K. Shanmuganathan said in a statement that the report did not put forward any fact of arbitrary executions in the country.
He also urged the government to provide more reliable information about executions.
Amnesty International Malaysia "calls on the government of Malaysia to make an official release on all statistics on executions and death sentences in Malaysia to date," he said in the statement.
Attempts by AFP to reach Shanmuganathan for additional comment were not successful.
Agence France-Presse - 4/17/2008 11:43 AM GMT
Amnesty, in a report on death sentences and executions on Tuesday, said "many countries carry out executions in secret and refuse to divulge any information on the use of the death penalty."
It said these countries include China, Singapore, Malaysia and Mongolia.
"We do not have secret killings, as anyone who commits a crime here has to go through the process of law. We cannot simply kill people, Malaysia is a country of law," home minister Syed Hamid Albar told state news agency Bernama.
"I don't know how they could come up with such a report. Did they meet and speak to anyone or just listen to rumours?" he added.
Amnesty International Malaysia coordinator K. Shanmuganathan said in a statement that the report did not put forward any fact of arbitrary executions in the country.
He also urged the government to provide more reliable information about executions.
Amnesty International Malaysia "calls on the government of Malaysia to make an official release on all statistics on executions and death sentences in Malaysia to date," he said in the statement.
Attempts by AFP to reach Shanmuganathan for additional comment were not successful.
Agence France-Presse - 4/17/2008 11:43 AM GMT
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