Parliament Imposes Death Penalty for Major Drug Smuggling with Unanimous Court Rule

The Parliament has approved amendments to the Drug Act introducing the death penalty for major drug-smuggling offences, with the punishment applicable only if all Supreme Court justices reach a unanimous decision. The changes also remove the existing provision that allowed death sentences to be commuted to 25 years’ imprisonment. The amendment was passed with 65 votes in favour.

Under the newly adopted provisions, capital punishment will apply only if one of three thresholds is met:

advertisement

advertisement

advertisement

• More than 350 grams of cannabis;
• More than 250 grams of diamorphine (heroin);
• Over 100 grams of any other illicit drug, excluding cannabis and diamorphine.

The legislation specifies that the death penalty may be imposed solely when the individual personally brings the drugs into the Maldives. Even in such cases, the sentence must undergo mandatory review by higher courts. Moreover, the death penalty can only be executed with the unanimous consent of the Supreme Court bench. Should the Supreme Court fail to reach consensus, the defendant will instead face life imprisonment and a fine ranging from MVR 100,000 to MVR 10 million.

The current legislation permits the death penalty to be commuted to a life imprisonment which is a 25-year prison term. However, the parliamentary committee strengthened the amendment by removing this provision. Under the revised bill, offences that carry life imprisonment or the death penalty related to drugs cannot be reduced, altered or made eligible for parole under this Act. The state is also prohibited from entering into plea agreements in such cases.

The amendment comes amid growing concern from international human rights organisations, as well as domestic groups such as the Maldivian Democracy Network. Critics have raised alarms over President Dr Mohamed Muizzu’s push for harsher penalties, arguing that the introduction of capital punishment for drug offences contradicts global human rights standards and risks undermining the country’s commitment to due process.

The government, however, maintains that the measures are necessary to combat large-scale narcotics trafficking and protect public safety.