Putrajaya is still studying whether to abolish the death penalty or remove the mandatory clause in laws related to capital punishment, according to Deputy Prime Minister Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

"We are discussing abolishing the mandatory death penalty as we (the government) found that it does not work as a deterrent.

"But we also need to address the problem of crimes that are beyond human imagination, which have happened and need other types of punishment to address them," she said.

Wan Azizah stressed that it was the government's intention to abolish capital punishment, but added that it must be studied carefully.

"The government is looking at total abolition, but we have to study this first. We also need to take into account the issue of inhumane criminal acts," she added.

Wan Azizah was speaking to reporters this morning after she launched the Astro Junior Championships Under-15 Team (Regional) badminton tournament at Juara Stadium in Bukit Kiara, Kuala Lumpur.

She was responding to a question on whether the government would consider retaining capital punishment for murder cases.

Yesterday, DAP lawmaker Ramkarpal Singh, in a statement, urged Putrajaya to retain the death penalty for “exceptional cases”.

The Gelugor MP said while he had always advocated for the abolition of the death penalty, cases like the recent murder of a nine-month-old baby who was raped and sodomised "justify retaining the said death penalty in exceptional cases".