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.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS