Human rights groups in Malaysia are calling for the repeal of a law that criminalises attempted suicide after a man with a physical disability was sentenced to six months in prison for trying to take his own life.
Malaysia is one of the few countries where attempting suicide is illegal. Under existing legislation, people found guilty can be punished by up to a year in prison, a fine, or both. But the Malaysian government is now considering a change to the law, which advocates say cannot come soon enough.
“The facts of this case underscore the urgency and need to repeal this law,” said Lim Wei Jiet, secretary general of Hakam, a human rights group in Malaysia. “This particular disabled man, who probably had reached a very depressing point of his life, is now punished with a jail term that is grossly inhumane and incompassionate in our view.”
The 38-year-old man from Kuala Nerus, in the north-east of the country, was arrested in December after his family reported erratic behaviour. When police arrived at the home, they found the man attempting to kill himself. A psychiatric evaluation found him fit to stand trial and he was sentenced on 2 February.
