Taiwan has more than 100 inmates on death row, with 15 having been given the final sentence and awaiting execution, according to the Ministry of Justice (MOJ).
While the government has not been able to achieve its goal of abolishing the death penalty, it has managed to lower the number of executions, the MOJ said.
This is why the number of death-row convicts is on the rise, it said.
Ministry statistics shows that as of Feb. 17, there were 109 death-row convicts in prisons nationwide. But of the 17 prisoners sentenced to death last year, only three were executed.
Justice Minister Morley Shih (
For those whose extraordinary appeals had been rejected by the Supreme Court, the ministry has also attempted to stay their execution, Shih said.
Such appeals and delays explain why only three out of the 17 convicts sentenced to death last year were actually executed, he added.
Shih said that Taiwan might not be able to abolish the death penalty soon, as a majority of the public believes it is a more effective deterrent against crime than any other form of punishment.
Moreover, many believe that without capital punishment, relatives of the victims of violent crimes would not be accorded justice.
However, criminals sentenced to death also suffer intense pressure in awaiting their execution dates.
A prisoner, Huang Chih-hsien (
Huang had reportedly told prison staff that waiting for his execution date was too painful.
According to a report by the Chinese-language newspaper, the United Daily News, two death-row convicts were recently found to be suffering from mental illness.
Meanwhile, a former Taipei County senior high school teacher, Tseng Si-ru (
In 2002 Ho caught Tseng breaking and entering her apartment. Tseng got hold of a dumbbell, hit Ho with it and, despite the latter's plea for mercy, used a knife he was carrying to slash her neck. He then turned on the gas to leave her to die.
Tseng even attempted to make the death of Ho look like a suicide, but bloodstains at the scene of the crime led the police to Tseng.
Tseng was given seven death sentences, which were upheld by the Supreme Court.
NATIONAL SECURITY: Authorities are working to confirm the identities of the military personnel involved and investigating possible illegal conduct and regulatory violations Authorities are probing possible national security implications after Kinmen police and immigration officers on Sunday found a Chinese woman allegedly posing as a tourist while engaging in prostitution involving more than 10 military personnel. The woman, surnamed Chen (陳), has since been deported, authorities said, adding that investigators are still working to confirm the identities of those implicated, as the records only listed code names and aliases. The case stemmed from a report received by the Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday last week from the Jinhu Precinct of the Kinmen County Police Bureau. On Sunday, police, along with the National Immigration
GLOBALGIVING: ‘ Caving to external pressure is not acceptable for an organization that has cultivated justice reform and human rights for 30 years,’ one NGO said A slew of non-government organizations (NGOs) have withdrawn from the GlobalGiving fundraising platform after it announced it would use “Chinese Taipei” instead of “Taiwan” from next month. The Taiwan Good Rice Association wrote on Facebook on Friday that it was informed on April 28 via a teleconference call of the change, which was made because the platform wanted to operate in China. Taiwan Good Rice is to terminate all cooperative relationships with GlobalGiving in response to the platform’s “unilateral and non-negotiable” decision to remove references to Taiwan, the NGO said. “Taiwan is in the official name of Taiwan Good Rice Association and the
STAY COOL: The HPA recommended that people stay hydrated, use air-conditioning or fans while indoors, wear loose-fitting clothes and walk in the shade while outdoors Employers must implement measures such as installing cooling equipment, and providing drinking water and rest breaks for outdoor workers starting from Monday next week, the Taipei Department of Labor said on Sunday. Employers who fail to comply could face fines of NT$30,000 to NT$300,000 under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (職業安全衛生法), the department said. Businesses in Taipei employing fewer than 100 workers, as well as registered self-employed workers with labor insurance coverage, could receive on-site assessments and guidance from occupational safety consultants to help them apply for central government subsidies to implement or improve heat-protection measures, it said. Under the Ministry of
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) yesterday briefed her party’s Central Standing Committee regarding her scheduled visit to the US between Monday next week and June 16, saying that her purpose would be to persuade the US that the Republic of China (ROC) Constitution was a “one China” constitution that would foster stable and peaceful cross-strait relations. The ROC Constitution is the most important defense for all Taiwanese citizens, as it upholds our democracy and has contributed to our robust economy, which aligns with international and US interests, she said. “We would not be troublemakers and drag the US under,”
RSS