By Hyo-Jin Paik
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

TAIPEI, Taiwan – Despite talks of abolishing the capital punishment system, Taiwan has executed four men.  These executions, whereby the inmates were shot by a firing squad, were Taiwan’s first since December 2005. 

Although death penalty is a sensitive issue in Taiwan, it is widely supported by the Taiwanese public.  In fact, the former justice minister resigned in March because the Minister refused to sign death warrants for prisoners. 

However, a human rights group called the Foundation for Judicial Reform condemned the recent executions saying, “We are shocked and angered . . . the justice ministry sped up the executions in a reckless process despite concerns over capital punishment.”

This Taiwanese rights group is claiming that the Justice Ministry purposely hastened the process for the four inmates who were executed. 

Amnesty International’s Asia-Pacific Deputy Director Catherine Baber said, “These executions cast a dark shadow on the country’s human rights record and blatantly contradict the Justice Minister’s previously declared intention to abolish the death penalty.”

In defense, Taiwan’s Ministry of Justice released a statement saying that the prisoners were “put to death according to the laws as the four were convicted of grave offenses,” adding that the executed inmates “did not request Constitutional interpretations of their cases.”  Taiwan reserve capital punishment for serious offenses, such as aggravated murder, kidnapping and robbery.

Nevertheless Baber said, “The world was looking to the Taiwanese authorities to choose human rights, and to show leadership on the path towards abolishing the death penalty in the Asia-Pacific.  [The] executions extinguished that hope.”

Along with Amnesty International, Taiwanese Alliance to End the Death Penalty (TAEDP) also expressed its “shock and anger.”  TAEDP often raises the question of legality over executions, and with regards to the recent executions, TAEDP’s Executive Director Lin Hsin-yi said that the executions were “furtively and hastily” carried out without notice to the inmates’ families.

49 Taiwanese were put to death between 2000 and 2005.

For more information, please see:

AFP – Taiwan rights groups lash out at executions – 1 May 2010

BBC – Taiwan conducts rare executions – 1 May 2010

Focus Taiwan – Rights groups condemn Taiwan’s executions – 1 May 2010