Malaysia’s Siti Zabidah Muhammad Rasyid had been hoping for a miracle for the past two decades to save her son Razali from death row after he received the sentence 23 years ago when he was caught with 851 grams of cannabis, breaching Malaysia’s tough drug laws.
But Siti Zabidah’s prayers were answered this week after the Malaysian parliament passed a bill to introduce significant reforms that would eliminate mandatory death penalties for several severe crimes.
Like Siti Zabidah, the move has brought a ray of hope for over 1,300 death row prisoners in the country who may receive possible reprieves under the new legislation.
"The joy was immense," said a tearful Siti Zabidah, speaking, to news agency Reuters, from her apartment in the state of Selangor, near the capital Kuala Lumpur.
She claimed that her son said a friend forced him to carry the contraband and then made him the scapegoat after being arrested.
As per the Reuters report, the family was denied an earlier attempt to file an appeal against the sentence by a judge.
She recounted how she collapsed after listening to the judge’s decision, fearing that the legal avenues for her son were shut.
"I can go on without a husband but not without my children," she said.
"As long as I'm alive, I'll give him strength," Siti Zabidah said, adding that she would stand by her son whatever happened, the report quoted her as saying.
The new law reform applies to 34 offences that are currently punishable by death, including murder and drug trafficking. Eleven of those have stipulated death as the mandatory punishment.
Razali’s fate now lies with the courts, which will decide on a possible alternative sentencing or punishment.
Under the current amendment, alternatives to the death penalty include caning and a jail term of up to 40 years.