A Japanese photographer and harpists from France and Taiwan are encouraging Taiwanese to reconsider their thoughts on issues related to the death penalty through a photography exhibition and a concert, organizers said yesterday.
The events began in Taipei yesterday with a two-day display of 16 photographs taken by US-based photographer Toshi Kazama, featuring pictures of death-row inmates in the US and Taiwan, execution sites, a prisoner’s last meal and execution devices, such as the electric chair.
The collaboration marks the first time that the Taiwan Alliance to End the Death Penalty has organized events incorporating music and photographs to raise public awareness on the issue, said Lin Hsin-yi (林欣怡), the executive director of the Taipei-based alliance.
Holding the events this month is significant because Taiwan has executed inmates in the spring of the previous two years, Lin said.
Taiwan ended a four-year moratorium on executions in 2010, executing four prisoners that year and another five in March last year, drawing criticism from the EU and human rights advocates.
Speaking at a news conference, Kazama said he wanted to encourage people to think about a wide range of aspects surrounding the practice of capital punishment.
“Most people just focus on whether it is right or wrong to impose the death penalty,” said the 54-year-old, who began taking photos of death-row inmates and execution sites in 1996.
“However, they don’t know the reality [surrounding the death penalty],” Kazama said, adding that the emotional impact on execution officials is often ignored.
By viewing the black-and-white photographs, Kazama said he hoped visitors to the exhibition could “see beyond just the image.”
French harpist Isabelle Perrin and her Taiwanese counterpart Shannon Chieh (解瑄) were scheduled to perform at the National Theater Concert Hall in Taipei last night, organizers said.
In a video shown at the news conference, Chieh said she hoped the performance with Perrin — who is from a country where the death penalty has been abolished — will offer people an opportunity to approach the issue in a “soft way.”
Echoing Chieh’s remarks was Fleur Willson, head of the British Trade and Cultural Office’s Political and Economic Section, who was also present at the news conference.
An arts performance is an easier way to get the message across to people, she said.
Kazama’s photographs will also go on display in Greater Kaohsiung from Thursday through April 11.
“China is preparing to invade Taiwan,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) said in an exclusive interview with British media channel Sky News for a special report titled, “Is Taiwan ready for a Chinese invasion?” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today in a statement. The 25-minute-long special report by Helen Ann-Smith released yesterday saw Sky News travel to Penghu, Taoyuan and Taipei to discuss the possibility of a Chinese invasion and how Taiwan is preparing for an attack. The film observed emergency response drills, interviewed baseball fans at the Taipei Dome on their views of US President
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a "tsunami watch" alert after a magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck off the Kamchatka Peninsula in northeastern Russia earlier in the morning. The quake struck off the east coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula at 7:25am (Taiwan time) at a depth of about 19km, the CWA said, citing figures from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The CWA's Seismological Center said preliminary assessments indicate that a tsunami could reach Taiwan's coastal areas by 1:18pm today. The CWA urged residents along the coast to stay alert and take necessary precautions as waves as high as 1m could hit the southeastern
ECONOMIC BENEFITS: The imports from Belize would replace those from Honduras, whose shrimp exports have dropped 67 percent since cutting ties in 2023 Maintaining ties with Taiwan has economic benefits, Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials said yesterday, citing the approval of frozen whiteleg shrimp imports from Belize by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an example. The FDA on Wednesday approved the tariff-free imports from Belize after the whiteleg shrimp passed the Systematic Inspection of Imported Food, which would continue to boost mutual trade, the ministry said. Taiwan’s annual consumption of whiteleg shrimps stands at 30,000 tonnes, far exceeding domestic production, the ministry said. Taiwan used to fill the gap by importing shrimps from Honduras, but purchases slumped after Tegucigalpa severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan
The Executive Yuan yesterday approved a southwestern extension of the Sanying MRT Line from New Taipei to Bade District (八德) in Taoyuan, with a goal of starting construction by late 2026. The 4.03-kilometer extension, featuring three new stations, will run from the current terminus at Yingtao Fude Station (LB12) in New Taipei City to Dannan Station (LB14), where it will connect with Taoyuan’s Green Line, New Taipei City Metro Corp said in a statement. This extension will follow the completion of core Sanying Line, a 14.29-kilometer medium-capacity system linking Tucheng (土城), Sansia (三峽)
RSS