Integrating the Concepts of Diyat and ʿAfwu into Death Penalty Commutation in the Contemporary Era
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: The commutation of the death penalty to life imprisonment in the new Criminal Code places the state in a central position (state-centred) and does not allow victims or their families to be further involved. This study proposes integrating the concepts of Diyat and ‘Afwu into the process of commuting the death penalty in Indonesia, as this can promote restorative justice. This study is normative legal research that uses secondary data as material for prescriptive analysis. The Quran and Hadith are the primary references, followed by research results, scientific articles, papers, and laws and regulations relevant to the issues under study. This study finds that the regulation of commutation of the death penalty in the Criminal Code is not in accordance with the objectives of punishment, which are to protect society and apply a restorative justice paradigm. Therefore, the concepts of Diyat and ‘Afwu in qishas law can be adopted to complement the provisions on commutation in the new Criminal Code because they contain values of restorative justice with the involvement of victims or their families. Through this integration, it is hoped that the provisions on commutation of the death penalty in Indonesian criminal law will be updated in the future to achieve restorative justice. The findings of this study can contribute academically to the development of a contemporary legal conceptual framework that integrates Islamic criminal law concepts—namely Diyat and ‘Afwu—into the process of commuting the death penalty in Indonesia. The findings of this study enrich the discourse on criminal law reform by linking the principles of Islamic law, restorative justice, and Indonesian positive law, while offering an alternative perspective on how the death penalty can be reconsidered through a victim-oriented and humanistic approach. This study is also expected to make a significant contribution to refining provisions on the death penalty in Indonesian criminal law.
Source: MILRev Metro Islamic Law Review
Language: English
Subfield: Law
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7208810076