There are many reasons why the Taiwan Alliance to End the Death Penalty (TAEDP) has moved its office — not only because of the threats it has received.
The media have produced some misleading reports on this. The vast majority of people are capable of calm discussion, even where opinions differ. Everyone has the right to free speech. When it involves physical threats, however, this is no longer a matter of freedom of speech. A small group of extremists should not deny others their right to public debate.
“I know where Lin Hsin-yi works. [I know] she supports ending the death penalty. She should watch out.”
It was late 2006 when we received this call. The alliance was doing everything it could to stop an impending execution. A staffer picked up the phone and heard a voice make that threat.
Many of our friends and colleagues were very worried and wanted to report the threat to the police.
Four years later, I find myself in a similar situation. In fact, a number of organizations that support ending the death penalty — such as the Judicial Reform Foundation, the Taiwan Association for Human Rights and Amnesty International — and even defense lawyers working pro bono on death penalty cases, are being harassed, verbally abused and threatened. And again we must decide whether to go to the police — especially after someone left a threatening letter in our mailbox.
I got another threatening call just last week.
“If we get rid of the death penalty, then I want to start killing people, too — just kill anyone I feel like — and then eat free food in prison,” the voice blurted.
I didn’t reply, I just listened. He kept saying the same thing, over and over again. Finally he added: “That woman Lin Hsin-yi, I’ve seen her on TV. I’m going to rape her, then kill her.”
But then he seemed to suddenly realize that I might be Lin Hsin-yi.
“Is Lin Hsin-yi there?” he asked.
I was stunned into silence. After a moment I answered: “This is Lin Hsin-yi.”
It was his turn to be shocked into silence. Then he seemed to want to show that he wasn’t backing down. He started up again, babbling hysterically about killing people and living off free prison food. But he didn’t say anything else about raping and killing me.
I still wasn’t saying anything, just listening, and finally he was quiet.
Then, in a small voice, he said, “I’m sorry,” and hung up.
This man had called because he wanted us — people against the death penalty — to understand how victims feel. Yet when he realized that the person he was talking to was the person he wanted to scare, he was stunned and had trouble continuing.
As for me, the anger and fear that I felt listening to him dissolved when I heard that small voice say: “I’m sorry.”
Now I can fully understand why many penal systems today are moving toward restorative justice. Hatred will never put an end to crime. We can only try our hardest to heal wounds and make the perpetrators of crimes understand what they have done. This is the only way to help victims.
After all of this, I still support abolishing capital punishment, and I still do not ask that victims or their loved ones forgive offenders. I only want society and the government to do something more for victims than simply offering them executions, and to create an environment in which we understand each other — perpetrators and victims.
Four years after that first threatening call, this time at least there was an apology. I can safely say that the public debate on the death penalty has made progress, too.
Lin Hsin-yi is the director of the Taiwan Alliance to End the Death Penalty.
TRANSLATED BY CELIA LLOPIS-JEPSEN
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