Non-imposition of Death Penalty on Individuals under Age of 16

Mr Yip Hon Weng asked the Minister for Law (a) whether there is any intention to review the law on minors in light of the River Valley High School incident; and (b) whether the current position of not imposing the death penalty on individuals under the age of 16 will be retained.

Mr K Shanmugam: We should be careful not to draw premature conclusions from the tragic River Valley High School incident. It is best to wait for the investigations to be completed and then see if there are specific actions necessary on legislation.

Any decision to lower the age limit for the death penalty is a very serious one and will require careful consideration.

While we continually review our laws, we do not yet see any reason to lower the current age limit; nor do we anticipate that this will change.