In Malaysia, those found guilty of certain offenses such as murder, terrorism and drug smuggling have had no hope of pardon from the judge.
Until now, the law of the Southeast Asian country provided for the imposition of the death penalty provided certain conditions were met.
Now the government has announced that it will abolish this regulation and give the judges more discretion.
In the future, they should have the freedom to impose alternative punishments, according to a statement on Friday after a cabinet meeting.
Till Fähnders
Political correspondent for Southeast Asia.
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The mandatory death penalty has been imposed in Malaysia for eleven offences.
It is condemned by human rights activists as particularly cruel because it does not take into account the circumstances of the crime and the perpetrator's living situation.
Human rights groups such as Amnesty International welcomed the decision as a step in the right direction.
But this must be followed by the complete abolition of the death penalty.
According to Amnesty International, most of these cases are drug related.
According to government statistics, among the more than 1,300 criminals still awaiting execution on death row in February, more than 900 had mandatory death sentences for drug smuggling.
The organization called on the government to review these judgments in light of the announced legislative change.
However, the changes would have to be approved by Parliament beforehand.
According to Amnesty, a moratorium was in force in Malaysia last year, under which no more executions were carried out.
Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch, also praised the move given the continued use of the death penalty in Southeast Asian countries such as Singapore, Myanmar and Vietnam.