A coalition of 10 Maldivian and international human rights organizations has urged the Maldives government to withdraw its proposed bill aimed at ending the country’s longstanding moratorium on the death penalty. The groups have also called for the repeal of recent amendments to the Drugs Act that expand capital punishment to drug-related offenses, and instead push for the full abolition of the death penalty and commutation of existing death sentences.
The proposed legislation, announced by President Mohamed Muizzu, would reportedly allow the death penalty to be applied without delay once approved, including for individuals who have exhausted all stages of judicial appeal. Human rights groups argue that this move would violate the Maldives’ obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and contradict global standards that restrict the death penalty to the “most serious crimes,” which do not include drug offenses.
The concerns come in the context of recent legal changes that already expanded capital punishment to include drug trafficking. Under these amendments, trafficking specified quantities of drugs could now carry the death penalty, alongside stricter penalties for related offenses. Rights groups have warned that such expansion runs counter to international human rights law, which discourages widening the scope of capital punishment.
Opponents of the bill also point to long-standing issues within the Maldivian justice system, including concerns about politicization, corruption, and weak accountability mechanisms. They argue that reintroducing executions would be particularly dangerous in a system where fair trial guarantees may not be fully reliable.
The Maldives has maintained a moratorium on executions since 1954, and its reinstatement would place the country against global and regional trends toward abolition. Human rights organizations highlight that more than 100 countries worldwide have fully abolished the death penalty, with several Asian countries in recent years reducing or eliminating its use, including Vietnam, Pakistan, and Malaysia.
The coalition has urged lawmakers in the People’s Majlis to reject the proposed bill and instead take steps toward complete abolition of the death penalty, in line with international human rights standards and the global shift away from capital punishment.
