By Hyo-Jin Paik
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia
TAIPEI, Taiwan – Capital punishment has stirred up a debate in Taiwan, leading to the resignation of the country’s justice minister and a letter from Amnesty International to the country’s president.
Taiwan has not carried out executions in the past four years and just last week, Taiwan’s Justice Minister Wang Ching-feng affirmed that no executions would take place during her term.
However, her comment drew heavy criticism from the Taiwanese public, which resulted in her speedy resignation.
Like many of its neighbors, Taiwan has not abolished the capital punishment system and reserves death penalty for serious crimes, e.g., aggravated murder, kidnapping and robbery.
Furthermore, opinions polls show that there is a widespread public approval of capital punishment and that sentiment has not diminished over the years. In an interview conducted by United Daily News last week, 74% of the interviewees in Taiwan said they support capital punishment.
Conversely, Taipei Bar Association’s Human Protection Committee is working to end capital punishment.
Hsueh Chin-feng who heads the Committee said, “We have a long way to go before Taiwan formally abolishes the death penalty. Wang’s resignation has dealt a further blow to the cause of ending capital punishment. . . .”
Amnesty International also sent a letter to Taiwan’s President Ma Ying-jeou urging him to end death penalty and set an example for other Asian countries to follow.
The letter said, “We [Amnesty International] look to Taiwan as a leader in the region on progress toward abolition. . . The lives of the 44 inmates on death row must not be comprised . . . Taiwan should . . . abolish capital punishment in row or practice.”
One of the death row inmates, Su Chien-ho, was initially sentenced to death back in 1995. Su spent most of his adult life on death row for murder. He went through series of trials, and another retrial has been ordered by Taiwan’s Supreme Court.
Rights activists argue that Su’s situation exemplifies a flawed death row case. Other activists have expressed concern over the risk of executing the innocent.
In another public opinion poll, only 35% of Taiwan’s public said that they view life imprisonment as an acceptable replacement of capital punishment.
For more information, please see:
Taipei Times – Capital punishment debate stirs up Taiwan – 20 March 2010
Taiwan News – Death penalty row risks Taiwan’s image – 19 March 2010
Taiwan Today – Amnesty International urges Ma to end death penalty – 19 March 2010
