Putrajaya has received praise for the cabinet decision to review the death penalty and reinstate discretionary sentencing by judges for drug-related offences.

"@YBAOS63 - syabas (good job) on cabinet's decision to review mandatory death sentence for drug offences & reinstate judges’ discretion in sentencing," Lawyers for Liberty executive director Eric Paulsen tweeted to YBAOS63, the Twitter account of de facto Law Minister Azalina Othman Said.

However, Paulsen argued, the proposal, which is limited to drug offences, should be extended to all death penalty offences, including murder, kidnapping, firearms and others.

"Judges are in the best position to exercise discretion on the appropriate sentence for each individual case, depending on the facts.

"Judicial discretion in sentencing is an essential aspect of judicial power under our legal system. Judges are not automatons," he tweeted further.