Legislators today questioned Judicial Yuan presidential nominee Chang Wen-chen (張文貞) on her views about the death penalty.
Chang, a National Taiwan University law professor, was nominated as the new president of the Judicial Yuan by President William Lai (賴清德) in August.
Chang said that she would respect the ruling of the Constitutional Court that the death penalty is constitutional.
Photo: Lo Pei-te, Taipei Times
The court ruled on Sep. 20 against abolishing the death penalty, but limited the scope of its enforcement, stating that life is a constitutional right that cannot be abused, and as such the death penalty could only be enforced for the most serious of crimes.
Asked if she supported the abolition of the death penalty by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Yang Chiung-ying (楊瓊瓔), Chang said that the ruling of the court was to implement stricter conditions on its implementation and enforcement, but does not mean that the death penalty would not be enacted.
Chang stressed to Yang and KMT Legislator Chen Yu-jen (陳玉珍) that any politician holding the highest judicial role in the nation may only take the position of upholding the Constitution.
Yang asked whether the latest ruling means that the death penalty has effectively been abolished, as has been widely speculated, to which Chang said that many overlooked the opening sentence of ruling that the death penalty is constitutional.
Chang said that she believes the death penalty’s constitutionality is not currently the most pressing matter in Taiwan, with many other issues concerning judicial reform across sectors from transportation to healthcare requiring the attention of legislators.
Yang asked Chang if she would push for the complete abolition of the death penalty upon assuming the role, to which she said this is a common misconception and she must respect the Constitution first and foremost.
“China is preparing to invade Taiwan,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) said in an exclusive interview with British media channel Sky News for a special report titled, “Is Taiwan ready for a Chinese invasion?” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today in a statement. The 25-minute-long special report by Helen Ann-Smith released yesterday saw Sky News travel to Penghu, Taoyuan and Taipei to discuss the possibility of a Chinese invasion and how Taiwan is preparing for an attack. The film observed emergency response drills, interviewed baseball fans at the Taipei Dome on their views of US President
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a "tsunami watch" alert after a magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck off the Kamchatka Peninsula in northeastern Russia earlier in the morning. The quake struck off the east coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula at 7:25am (Taiwan time) at a depth of about 19km, the CWA said, citing figures from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The CWA's Seismological Center said preliminary assessments indicate that a tsunami could reach Taiwan's coastal areas by 1:18pm today. The CWA urged residents along the coast to stay alert and take necessary precautions as waves as high as 1m could hit the southeastern
The National Museum of Taiwan Literature is next month to hold an exhibition in Osaka, Japan, showcasing the rich and unique history of Taiwanese folklore and literature. The exhibition, which is to run from Aug. 10 to Aug. 20 at the city’s Central Public Hall, is part of the “We Taiwan” at Expo 2025 series, highlighting Taiwan’s cultural ties with the international community, National Museum of Taiwan Literature director Chen Ying-fang (陳瑩芳) said. Folklore and literature, among Taiwan’s richest cultural heritages, naturally deserve a central place in the global dialogue, Chen said. Taiwan’s folklore would be immediately apparent at the entrance of the
ECONOMIC BENEFITS: The imports from Belize would replace those from Honduras, whose shrimp exports have dropped 67 percent since cutting ties in 2023 Maintaining ties with Taiwan has economic benefits, Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials said yesterday, citing the approval of frozen whiteleg shrimp imports from Belize by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an example. The FDA on Wednesday approved the tariff-free imports from Belize after the whiteleg shrimp passed the Systematic Inspection of Imported Food, which would continue to boost mutual trade, the ministry said. Taiwan’s annual consumption of whiteleg shrimps stands at 30,000 tonnes, far exceeding domestic production, the ministry said. Taiwan used to fill the gap by importing shrimps from Honduras, but purchases slumped after Tegucigalpa severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan
RSS