The EU yesterday called on Taiwan to refrain from using the death penalty, following the execution of murderer Weng Jen-hsien (翁仁賢) on Wednesday.
The Supreme Court on July 10 last year sentenced Weng, 53, to death after he was convicted of killing his parents, his niece, his nephew, his nephew’s wife and his parents’ caregiver in 2016.
Weng was executed in New Taipei City on Wednesday evening.
“The European Union condemns this crime in the strongest terms and expresses its sincere sympathy to the family of his victims,” the European Economic and Trade Office in Taiwan yesterday wrote on Facebook in English, relaying a statement from the EU Foreign Affairs Council.
“At the same time, the EU recalls its opposition to the use of capital punishment under any circumstances. The EU believes that the death penalty is a cruel and inhumane punishment, which fails to act as a deterrent to crime and represents an unacceptable denial of human dignity and integrity,” it wrote.
“The European Union therefore calls on Taiwan to refrain from any future executions, to reinstate and maintain a de facto moratorium and to pursue a consistent policy towards the abolition of the death penalty in Taiwan,” it added.
Weng’s was the second execution carried out since President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) took office in May 2016, following the execution of death row inmate Lee Hung-chi (李宏基) in 2018.
The Ministry of Justice on Wednesday said in a news release that it understands there are different opinions about the death penalty, adding that it has been cautious about conducting executions before Taiwanese society reaches a consensus to abolish capital punishment.
The ministry said that it would continue communicating with advocates of abolishing or suspending the death penalty and working to strengthen social security and victim support networks, as well as educational initiatives on restorative justice, human rights and the rule of law, so that it might propose alternatives to capital punishment.
The Taiwan Alliance to End the Death Penalty on Thursday said that it would withdraw from a ministry task force established in 2010 to research the gradual abolition of capital punishment, citing the ministry’s inaction on the issue.
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