The government will introduce a new bill in the parliament this year to begin implementing the death penalty in the Maldives, President Mohamed Muizzu announced today (March 23).
At a press conference at the President's Office, Muizzu said the Attorney General’s (AG) Office is preparing a bill to form a special law to implement the death penalty, which will be introduced in the current session of the parliament.
"The Attorney General's Office is preparing a bill to bring a special law to execute such persons. This bill is almost completed now. We will hopefully send this bill to parliament during the current session," Muizzu said.
He added that the bill will be ratified when approved by the parliament to begin carrying out the death penalty in the Maldives.
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The Drugs Act was amended in December 2025 to impose the death penalty on drug traffickers after a final decision by the Supreme Court. Previously, the maximum penalty for drug traffickers was life imprisonment (25 years in jail).
The Maldives has not carried out an execution since 1954. Last year, the government said four people were on death row after completing all judicial stages.
Former President Abdulla Yameen lifted the moratorium on the death penalty when he was in office from 2013 to 2018. But no executions were carried out.
His successor, former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, changed the policy and decided against implementing the death penalty.
