Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Hsieh Kuo-liang (謝國樑) yesterday proposed to resolve the death penalty controversy through a referendum.
Hsieh, head of the legislature’s Judiciary and Organic Laws and Statutes Committee, said he would launch a proposal at the legislature to refer the issue of abolishing capital punishment for review.
“Those who are in favor of abolishing the death penalty and those who are against it have become polarized these days,” Hsieh told reporters, adding that the issue could be put to a referendum because it fulfills the requirements of the Referendum Act (公民投票法).
Article 16 of the Act authorizes the legislature to launch a referendum bid on “issues that should be resolved through a plebiscite.”
Unlike plebiscite bids proposed by civic groups, the legislature would not need to garner signatures and pass certain signature thresholds before the referendum can be held. Instead, the Central Election Commission is obliged to hold a referendum after a proposed bid clears the legislative floor.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus whip Chai Trong-rong (蔡同榮) yesterday said his caucus supports putting controversial issues through referendums.
However, he said the DPP caucus would not make a final decision on the matter until the KMT lawmaker has put the proposal forward.
The issue of abolishing the death penalty came to the fore in March when then-minister of justice Wang Ching-feng (王清峰) openly stated her objections to capital punishment and said she would not approve any executions as minister.
Her statements led to public criticism, especially by victims’ families and opposition legislators and Wang later resigned.
Minister of Justice Tseng Yung-fu (曾勇夫) has said he would approve the executions of prisoners on death row if they have exhausted the appeals process.
On April, 30, four death row inmates were executed, the first time the death penalty was carried out in Taiwan since December 2005.
The Ministry of Justice said the executions were carried out in accordance with the law. It also said that in most public opinion polls, more than 70 percent of respondents were against abolition.
The execution, however, drew outcries from human rights groups both at home and abroad, which accused the ministry of “illegal” executions, while supporters of the death penalty, including entertainer Pai Bing-bing (白冰冰), who lost her only daughter to kidnappers, applauded the ministry’s move.
The EU has asked Taiwan to restore a de facto moratorium on the death penalty, saying that the resumption of executions would affect Taiwan’s image.
“Taiwan is viewed by Europe as a place of democracy and respect for human rights. Of course, resumption of the death penalty and executions will affect this perception of Taiwan’s high standards of human rights,” Guy Ledoux, head of the European Economic and Trade Office, said on Friday.
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