Taiwan is regularly recognized as the strongest democracy in Asia, a vibrant, pluralist society that holds human rights as foundational to its identity. That is, until you consider the 38 Taiwanese prisoners awaiting execution. The state’s cold-blooded killing of its own citizens is incongruous with democracy and human rights. Taiwan must join the 108 nations that have completely abolished the death penalty.
Capital punishment has been a feature of human civilization since the beginning of recorded history, but it has no place in a modern, liberal democracy such as Taiwan. The practice was formally introduced by Japanese colonizers in 1895, and has been continued by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) government and into the democratic era, surviving the transfer of power to the Democratic Progressive Party government.
During the 38 years of martial law, the KMT used the death penalty as a tool of oppression to control the Taiwanese population who agitated for self-rule and basic freedoms. Ironically, upon the lifting of martial law, executions increased exponentially, peaking at 78 in 1990, and decreasing slowly. This dramatic increase reflects the violent flexing of an authoritarian system in its death throes, attempting to control a society already on the path to democracy.
“There is no credible evidence that the death penalty deters crime more effectively than long-term imprisonment,” is the clear message from the American Civil Liberties Union. The same was found by criminologist Ezzat Fattah’s seminal 1972 longitudinal study, which concluded that the death penalty had no deterrent effect. The UN also determined in 1988 and 1996 that “research has failed to provide scientific proof that executions have a greater deterrent effect than life imprisonment, and such proof is unlikely to be forthcoming.” The evidence is clear: It does not work.
Taiwan is no different, and legislators know that. When asked what they believe would reduce violent crimes, “more executions” was the least frequently selected option. It is time that the death penalty is abolished. Not only is it ineffective at reducing crime, but it also too often leads to the deaths of undeserving or innocent people.
All justice systems are flawed. There are seven cases in which death sentences were handed down to individuals who were later exonerated by the government, one of whom, Chiang Kuo-ching (江國慶), was executed before his eventual exoneration. The other six lost decades of freedom, and endured torturous and inhumane conditions awaiting the final bullet in the brain. Civil rights groups believe six more innocent people have been wrongly sentenced to death, half having already been executed, and the other half on death row.
Damningly, of the 62 judgements involving the death penalty between 2006 and 2015, 10 did not include evidence that established guilt, 32 judgements failed to establish premeditation. In 28 cases, criminal intent was asserted without supporting evidence. The system clearly does not work to establish justice. In principle and practice, the death penalty is unacceptable. Taiwan can do better, and it needs to do better.
Despite consistent polling from the 1990s showing high support for retention, Chiu Hei-yuan (瞿海源), an honorary professor at Academia Sinica’s Institute of Sociology, found that less than half of respondents were strongly opposed to abolition, indicating that the so-called public opposition, which is often touted as the reason the penalty remains, is not a significant barrier to abolition.
A 2016 Cornell Law School report also discovered that most often public opposition decreased significantly after abolition. Political, civil, religious, and judicial advocates were required to pursue abolition, and the population would follow suit. Remarkably, an abolitionist majority among lawmakers already prevails in Taiwan.
According to research, 61 percent of Taiwanese lawmakers interviewed favored abolition, and only 39 percent favored retention, with only one legislator being “strongly in favor of retention.” To advance abolition, Taiwan needs brave leaders to acknowledge the harm wrought by capital punishment and advocate for change.
The path to abolition is a global trend, evident in the 125 nations in the UN General Assembly voting last year to adopt a resolution calling for a global moratorium with an aim toward abolition. In the same year, four countries abolished capital punishment. Already 144 of the 199 global jurisdictions have abolished the death penalty in law or practice. Taiwan should join them, rather than continue an immoral practice among peers like China, Iran and Saudi Arabia.
Having already signed and domesticated the UN International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which clearly places abolition as its goal, the path is clear for Taiwan. The death penalty is an archaic weapon of oppression incompatible with a free democracy. It is unjust, ineffective, unsupported, and inhumane. It must go.
Declan Logan is an intern at the Taiwan Alliance to End the Death Penalty.
Congratulations to China’s working class — they have officially entered the “Livestock Feed 2.0” era. While others are still researching how to achieve healthy and balanced diets, China has already evolved to the point where it does not matter whether you are actually eating food, as long as you can swallow it. There is no need for cooking, chewing or making decisions — just tear open a package, add some hot water and in a short three minutes you have something that can keep you alive for at least another six hours. This is not science fiction — it is reality.
In a world increasingly defined by unpredictability, two actors stand out as islands of stability: Europe and Taiwan. One, a sprawling union of democracies, but under immense pressure, grappling with a geopolitical reality it was not originally designed for. The other, a vibrant, resilient democracy thriving as a technological global leader, but living under a growing existential threat. In response to rising uncertainties, they are both seeking resilience and learning to better position themselves. It is now time they recognize each other not just as partners of convenience, but as strategic and indispensable lifelines. The US, long seen as the anchor
Kinmen County’s political geography is provocative in and of itself. A pair of islets running up abreast the Chinese mainland, just 20 minutes by ferry from the Chinese city of Xiamen, Kinmen remains under the Taiwanese government’s control, after China’s failed invasion attempt in 1949. The provocative nature of Kinmen’s existence, along with the Matsu Islands off the coast of China’s Fuzhou City, has led to no shortage of outrageous takes and analyses in foreign media either fearmongering of a Chinese invasion or using these accidents of history to somehow understand Taiwan. Every few months a foreign reporter goes to
The war between Israel and Iran offers far-reaching strategic lessons, not only for the Middle East, but also for East Asia, particularly Taiwan. As tensions rise across both regions, the behavior of global powers, especially the US under the US President Donald Trump, signals how alliances, deterrence and rapid military mobilization could shape the outcomes of future conflicts. For Taiwan, facing increasing pressure and aggression from China, these lessons are both urgent and actionable. One of the most notable features of the Israel-Iran war was the prompt and decisive intervention of the US. Although the Trump administration is often portrayed as
RSS