Taiwan: 4 death row inmates executed

Taiwan executed 4 death row inmates Friday, the first time the death penalty had been carried out in the country since December 2005.

The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) confirmed Friday evening that four death row convicts, identified as Chang Chun-hung, Hung Chen-yao, Ko Shih-ming and Chang Wen-wei, were executed earlier in the day, 2 days after Justice Minister Tseng Yung-fu signed the warrants for the executions, the ministry said in a statement.

Taiwan last executed death row convicts in December 2005. The lack of executions since then drew attention earlier this year when former Minister of Justice Wang Ching-feng insisted on promoting the abolition of capital punishment and refused to sign death warrants.

Wang was later forced to resign March 11 amid a public outcry of victims of violent crimes and their families.

When Tseng assumed office March 22, he made it clear that while abolishing the death penalty is an ultimate goal, he would abide by the rule of law in dealing with issues regarding death row convicts.

Following Friday's executions, Taiwan still has 40 individuals on death row.

Presidential Office spokesman Lo Chih-chiang said that since Taiwan is a country that upholds the rule of law, it must deal with death row convicts according to existing law, unless there are reasons prescribed in the law that justify suspending the execution.

Acknowledging that scrapping the death penalty is a mainstream trend in a majority of countries around the world, Lo said local residents remain highly divided on the issue.

Because there is still no consensus on capital punishment in Taiwan, more rational discussion is needed before a final decision can be reached, he said.

In the interim, the government will study the feasibility of extending prison terms for certain kinds of felonies, raising thresholds for parole of those who have been given life sentences and tightening procedures for meting out the death peanlty.

The government will also seek to cut back the use of capital punishment through legal amendments, Lo added.

Source: Focus Taiwan, April 30, 2010

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