The judiciary followed proper procedure and defense lawyers filing an extraordinary appeal cannot be the basis for suspending procedures to carry out a death sentence, the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office said yesterday in response to controversy surrounding the execution of convicted Taipei MRT killer Cheng Chieh (鄭捷).
Cheng’s lawyers, Liang Chia-ying (梁家贏), Huang Chih-hao (黃致豪) and Lin Chun-hung (林俊宏), tried to win a last-minute reprieve for their client by submitting an extraordinary appeal to the prosecutor-general on Tuesday night, seeking a stay of execution.
However, the document arrived at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office at 9pm, 13 minutes after Cheng’s execution, with the first gunshot fired by the executioner at 8:47pm.
The defense lawyers said in a statement that the judiciary had violated judicial procedure throughout the case and kept the decision to order Cheng’s execution secret, adding that they were in the process of filing for an extraordinary appeal, seeking a retrial and wanted a constitutional interpretation by the Council of Grand Justices.
“The Ministry of Justice carried out the execution swiftly and did not contact the family of the accused or defense lawyers. This resulted in the accused not having sufficient time to allow the defense to initiate ‘criminal special aid procedures,’ and this is a deprivation of the accused right to life. It has violated international human rights conventions, and we regret what has taken place,” the lawyers said.
The Supreme Prosecutors’ Office said the proper judicial procedures for carrying out capital punishment had been followed and cited a need to maintain secrecy upon approval of an execution order.
It said that there are no legal requirements to contact the prisoner’s family, or defense lawyers prior to an execution.
“Even if the extraordinary appeal was submitted before carrying out the execution, according to The Code of Criminal Procedure (刑事訴訟法), it cannot serve as the basis to suspend the said procedure,” it said.
Cheng left a will for his family, written after the Supreme Court’s final verdict on April 22 upholding four death sentences.
He also reportedly wrote a short apology to his family.
The EU yesterday issued a statement urging the government to introduce an immediate moratorium on the death penalty following Cheng’s execution. Saying that it recognizes the serious nature of the crimes and expresses sympathy to all those who suffered, it added that the “death penalty can never be justified as it has no deterrent effect ... [the EU] calls for its universal abolition.”
Additional reporting by Stacy Hsu
The inspection equipment and data transmission system for new robotic dogs that Taipei is planning to use for sidewalk patrols were developed by a Taiwanese company, the city’s New Construction Office said today, dismissing concerns that the China-made robots could pose a security risk. The city is bringing in smart robotic dogs to help with sidewalk inspections, Taipei Deputy Mayor Lee Ssu-chuan (李四川) said on Facebook. Equipped with a panoramic surveillance system, the robots would be able to automatically flag problems and easily navigate narrow sidewalks, making inspections faster and more accurate, Lee said. By collecting more accurate data, they would help Taipei
STATS: Taiwan’s average life expectancy of 80.77 years was lower than that of Japan, Singapore and South Korea, but higher than in China, Malaysia and Indonesia Taiwan’s average life expectancy last year increased to 80.77 years, but was still not back to its pre-COVID-19 pandemic peak of 81.32 years in 2020, the Ministry of the Interior said yesterday. The average life expectancy last year increased the 0.54 years from 2023, the ministry said in a statement. For men and women, the average life expectancy last year was 77.42 years and 84.30 years respectively, up 0.48 years and 0.56 years from the previous year. Taiwan’s average life expectancy peaked at 81.32 years in 2020, as the nation was relatively unaffected by the pandemic that year. The metric
TAKING STOCK: The USMC is rebuilding a once-abandoned airfield in Palau to support large-scale ground operations as China’s missile range grows, Naval News reported The US Marine Corps (USMC) is considering new sites for stockpiling equipment in the West Pacific to harden military supply chains and enhance mobility across the Indo-Pacific region, US-based Naval News reported on Saturday. The proposed sites in Palau — one of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies — and Australia would enable a “rapid standup of stored equipment within a year” of the program’s approval, the report said, citing documents published by the USMC last month. In Palau, the service is rebuilding a formerly abandoned World War II-era airfield and establishing ancillary structures to support large-scale ground operations “as China’s missile range and magazine
Passengers on Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR) will be required to use headphones and make phone calls in gangways under new “quiet travel” rules starting Sept. 22. THSR Chairman Shih Che (史哲) told media that THSR will run a three-month promotional campaign to ensure widespread adoption of the new rules. Those repeatedly ignoring the guidance face the potential termination of their transport contract, which can result in them getting escorted off the train, according to THSR. Shih shared his hope to cultivate an environment conducive to rest and reading for the train’s passengers, stating that these changes aim to “promote self-discipline” among passengers
RSS