Rights groups urge Maldives to scrap death penalty plans

Nine human rights organizations on Wednesday urged the Maldives to drop a proposal to impose the death penalty for drug trafficking, warning the move would breach the country’s international obligations and reverse decades of progress toward abolition.

President Mohamed Muizzu announced on July 30 that he had instructed his cabinet to review amendments to the Drug Act aimed at introducing capital punishment for those convicted of smuggling or trafficking drugs. The bill, first tabled in parliament in December 2024, is currently before the Judiciary Committee.

“We oppose the death penalty unconditionally, for all cases and under any circumstances,” the signatories – including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the Maldivian Democracy Network – said in a joint statement. “The government must halt any attempt to expand this cruel punishment and instead abolish it for all crimes.”

Violation of international law
The Maldives ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) in 2006. Expanding the death penalty to crimes not previously punishable by death, the groups said, violates Article 6(6) of the treaty, which sets a clear path toward abolition.

The UN Human Rights Committee has stressed that capital punishment should be limited to the “most serious crimes” – those involving intentional killing – and should never apply to offences such as drug trafficking. The UN’s own drug control conventions make no reference to the death penalty, while its Common Position on Drugs explicitly opposes its use for such crimes.

“The death penalty cannot be reconciled with full respect for the right to life,” the UN committee has stated. “States should be on an irrevocable path towards complete eradication of the death penalty.”

Global decline in executions
Muizzu cited other countries’ use of capital punishment in defence of the proposal, but campaigners note that the Maldives is in a shrinking minority. As of August 2025, 113 countries have abolished the death penalty in law, and 145 – more than two-thirds of the world – have abolished it in law or practice.

Only around 34 countries retain the death penalty for drug-related offences, with confirmed executions in just four in 2024 – China, Iran, Singapore and Saudi Arabia. Pakistan and Vietnam have both recently moved to repeal death penalties for such crimes, while Malaysia has abolished the mandatory death penalty altogether.

No proof of deterrence
Muizzu has argued that executions for drug offences would “save society from the scourge of drugs.” Rights groups counter that there is no credible evidence the death penalty deters drug crime more effectively than imprisonment.

A UN study on homicide rates found no proof that executions have greater deterrent value than life sentences, and the global drug trade continues to grow despite decades of punitive policies in some countries.

“Highly punitive ‘zero tolerance’ approaches are rooted in misinformation,” the groups said. “Effective drug control must address root causes such as poverty, unemployment and marginalization.”

Existing violations and UN concerns
The Maldives has observed a moratorium on executions since 1954, but death sentences remain on the books for crimes not involving intentional killing, including certain sexual offences. The UN Human Rights Committee has criticized the country for removing the president’s power to grant clemency, transferring it to victims’ heirs in murder cases.

In two cases reviewed since 2019, the committee found violations including lack of legal assistance, coerced confessions and mandatory death sentences. It urged the Maldives to quash the convictions, hold retrials and ensure all death row inmates can seek pardon. The government has yet to comply.

Call for abolition
The nine organizations urged lawmakers to reject the proposed expansion and instead join the global trend toward abolition. They called for commutation of all existing death sentences and the repeal of capital punishment from Maldivian law.

“The Maldives is in a unique position to lead the region toward abolition,” the statement said. “This is a moment to embrace human rights leadership, not to turn back the clock.”

The statement was co-signed by The Advocates for Human Rights, Amnesty International, Anti-Death Penalty Asia Network, Capital Punishment Justice Project, Harm Reduction International, Human Rights Watch, International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), Maldivian Democracy Network and the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty.

This is an edited version of the report published by Amnesty International on Aug. 13, 2025.