The Justices of the Constitutional Court rejected a petition yesterday aimed at halting plans to execute the 40 inmates that remain on death row.
“The defendants are given the opportunity to defend and express themselves during the trial process ... There is no violation of the Constitution in the convictions,” the Constitutional Court said in a statement.
“The request to suspend the executions is dismissed, as the court declines to review the case,” the court said.
“Execution of the death row prisoners does not violate the two United Nations covenants that Taiwan has signed,” the court said, in a reference to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
The covenants were passed by the legislature on March 31 last year and later signed into law by President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九).
The petition was filed by the Taiwan Alliance to End the Death Penalty, on behalf of the 40 death row inmates.
Taiwan executed four of the 44 prisoners on death row on April 30, the first executions to be carried out since December 2005.
The Ministry of Justice said the four men had been tried and convicted of “grave offenses such as lethal kidnappings and murder” and their sentences had been confirmed by courts at various levels.
The executions came five weeks after former minister of justice Wang Ching-feng (王清峰) resigned amid a political storm sparked when she declared that she would not sign any death warrants during her term in office.
The justice ministry yesterday said it respected the Consitutional Court’s decision.
The Taiwan Alliance to End the Death Penalty, however, said in a statement it was saddened by the decision, which it described as “deeply regrettable.”
The non-profit organization, which has a team of volunteer lawyers, said it would make further comments on the judgment after it receives official confirmation of the decision from the Judicial Yuan.
Legal experts said the ministry could resume the execution of death row inmates at any time.
Minister of Justice Tseng Yung-fu (曾勇夫) said yesterday there was no timetable for carrying out more executions despite the court’s decision.
The execution date of the 40 inmates currently on death row would be based on the gravity on their crimes, he said.
In a meeting with the Chiayi District Prosecutors’ Office, the minister said a plan to prioritize the execution of inmates whose crimes involved brutal murders, including multiple deaths or killings within the family, was under consideration.
His comments came shortly after a report appeared in the Chinese-language United Daily News claiming that the ministry could carry out a second round of executions before the end of the year.
Taiwan reserves the death penalty for serious crimes including aggravated murder, kidnapping and robbery.
LONG FLIGHT: The jets would be flown by US pilots, with Taiwanese copilots in the two-seat F-16D variant to help familiarize them with the aircraft, the source said The US is expected to fly 10 Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Block 70/72 jets to Taiwan over the coming months to fulfill a long-awaited order of 66 aircraft, a defense official said yesterday. Word that the first batch of the jets would be delivered soon was welcome news to Taiwan, which has become concerned about delays in the delivery of US arms amid rising military tensions with China. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said the initial tranche of the nation’s F-16s are rolling off assembly lines in the US and would be flown under their own power to Taiwan by way
OBJECTS AT SEA: Satellites with synthetic-aperture radar could aid in the detection of small Chinese boats attempting to illegally enter Taiwan, the space agency head said Taiwan aims to send the nation’s first low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite into space in 2027, while the first Formosat-8 and Formosat-9 spacecraft are to be launched in October and 2028 respectively, the National Science and Technology Council said yesterday. The council laid out its space development plan in a report reviewed by members of the legislature’s Education and Culture Committee. Six LEO satellites would be produced in the initial phase, with the first one, the B5G-1A, scheduled to be launched in 2027, the council said in the report. Regarding the second satellite, the B5G-1B, the government plans to work with private contractors
‘NARWHAL’: The indigenous submarine completed its harbor acceptance test recently and is now under heavy guard as it undergoes tests in open waters, a source said The Hai Kun (海鯤), the nation’s first indigenous defense submarine, yesterday began sea trials, sailing out of the Port of Kaohsiung, a military source said. Also known as the “Narwhal,” the vessel departed from CSBC Corp, Taiwan’s (台灣國際造船) shipyard at about 8am, where it had been docked. More than 10 technicians and military personnel were on deck, with several others standing atop the sail. After recently completing its harbor acceptance test, the vessel has started a series of sea-based trials, including tests of its propulsion and navigational systems, while partially surfaced, the source said. The Hai Kun underwent tests in the port from
MISSION: The Indo-Pacific region is ‘the priority theater,’ where the task of deterrence extends across the entire region, including Taiwan, the US Pacific Fleet commander said The US Navy’s “mission of deterrence” in the Indo-Pacific theater applies to Taiwan, Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Stephen Koehler told the South China Sea Conference on Tuesday. The conference, organized by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), is an international platform for senior officials and experts from countries with security interests in the region. “The Pacific Fleet’s mission is to deter aggression across the Western Pacific, together with our allies and partners, and to prevail in combat if necessary, Koehler said in the event’s keynote speech. “That mission of deterrence applies regionwide — including the South China Sea and Taiwan,” he
RSS