The Justices of the Constitutional Court rejected a petition yesterday aimed at halting plans to execute the 40 inmates that remain on death row.
“The defendants are given the opportunity to defend and express themselves during the trial process ... There is no violation of the Constitution in the convictions,” the Constitutional Court said in a statement.
“The request to suspend the executions is dismissed, as the court declines to review the case,” the court said.
“Execution of the death row prisoners does not violate the two United Nations covenants that Taiwan has signed,” the court said, in a reference to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
The covenants were passed by the legislature on March 31 last year and later signed into law by President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九).
The petition was filed by the Taiwan Alliance to End the Death Penalty, on behalf of the 40 death row inmates.
Taiwan executed four of the 44 prisoners on death row on April 30, the first executions to be carried out since December 2005.
The Ministry of Justice said the four men had been tried and convicted of “grave offenses such as lethal kidnappings and murder” and their sentences had been confirmed by courts at various levels.
The executions came five weeks after former minister of justice Wang Ching-feng (王清峰) resigned amid a political storm sparked when she declared that she would not sign any death warrants during her term in office.
The justice ministry yesterday said it respected the Consitutional Court’s decision.
The Taiwan Alliance to End the Death Penalty, however, said in a statement it was saddened by the decision, which it described as “deeply regrettable.”
The non-profit organization, which has a team of volunteer lawyers, said it would make further comments on the judgment after it receives official confirmation of the decision from the Judicial Yuan.
Legal experts said the ministry could resume the execution of death row inmates at any time.
Minister of Justice Tseng Yung-fu (曾勇夫) said yesterday there was no timetable for carrying out more executions despite the court’s decision.
The execution date of the 40 inmates currently on death row would be based on the gravity on their crimes, he said.
In a meeting with the Chiayi District Prosecutors’ Office, the minister said a plan to prioritize the execution of inmates whose crimes involved brutal murders, including multiple deaths or killings within the family, was under consideration.
His comments came shortly after a report appeared in the Chinese-language United Daily News claiming that the ministry could carry out a second round of executions before the end of the year.
Taiwan reserves the death penalty for serious crimes including aggravated murder, kidnapping and robbery.
ECONOMIC RESILIENCE: Only 11.4 percent of Taiwan’s overseas investments last year were in China, and businesses are dispersing their investments elsewhere, Lai said China’s ambition to annex Taiwan is based on a desire to change the rules-based international order, rather than a desire for territorial gains, President William Lai (賴清德) said in an interview. During an appearance on the talk show The View With Catherine Chang, aired last night, Lai said China aimed to achieve hegemony, and that peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait was an issue of worldwide concern. During the interview, Lai also discussed his “four-pillar plan” for peace and prosperity, which he first outlined in an article published by the Wall Street Journal on July 4 last year. That
‘REGRETTABLE’: TPP lawmaker Vivian Huang said that ‘we will continue to support Chairman Ko and defend his innocence’ as he was transferred to a detention facility The Taipei District Court yesterday ruled that Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) be detained and held incommunicado over alleged corruption dating to his time as mayor of Taipei. The ruling reversed a decision by the court on Monday morning that Ko be released without bail. After prosecutors on Wednesday appealed the Monday decision, the High Court said that Ko had potentially been “actively involved” in the alleged corruption and ordered the district court to hold a second detention hearing. Ko did not speak to reporters upon his arrival at the district court at about 9:10am yesterday to attend a procedural
Thirty Taiwanese firms, led by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) and ASE Technology Holding Co (日月光投控), yesterday launched a silicon photonics industry alliance, aiming to accelerate the medium’s development and address the energy efficiency of artificial intelligence (AI) devices like data centers. As the world is ushering in a new AI era with tremendous demand for computing power and algorithms, energy consumption is emerging as a critical issue, TSMC vice president of integrated interconnect and packaging business C.K. Hsu (徐國晉) told a media briefing in Taipei. To solve this issue, it is essential to introduce silicon photonics and copackaged optics (CPO)
The High Court yesterday overturned a Taipei District Court decision to release Taiwan People’s Party Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) and sent the case back to the lower court. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office on Saturday questioned Ko amid a probe into alleged corruption involving the Core Pacific City development project during his time as Taipei mayor. Core Pacific City, also known as Living Mall (京華城購物中心), was a shopping mall in Taipei’s Songshan District (松山) that has since been demolished. On Monday, the Taipei District Court granted a second motion by Ko’s attorney to release him without bail, a decision the prosecutors’ office appealed
RSS