The Malaysian cabinet has agreed to abolish the death penalty which is currently mandatory for murder, kidnapping, possession of firearms and drug trafficking, among other crimes in the country.

According to the country’s Communications and Multimedia Minister, Gobind Singh Deo, the cabinet resolved to end the death penalty which is exclusively carried out by hanging in Malaysia, a legacy left behind by the British colonial rule

“I hope the law will be amended soon,” he told AFP.

Singh Deo said he hopes the law would be amended soon, adding that the government of the Asian nation decided to scrap capital punishment because there had been strong domestic opposition to the practice.

The decision was welcomed by rights advocates.

According to human rights advocates in Malaysia, once the death penalty is scrapped, the country will have the moral authority to fight for the lives of Malaysians facing death sentences abroad.