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Communist Vietnam's secret death penalty conveyor belt: How country trails only China and Iran for 'astonishing' number of executions

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Prisoners are dragged from their cells at 4am without warning to be given a lethal injection Vietnam's use of the death penalty has been thrust into the spotlight after a real estate tycoon was on Thursday sentenced to be executed in one of the biggest corruption cases in the country's history. Truong My Lan, a businesswoman who chaired a sprawling company that developed luxury apartments, hotels, offices and shopping malls, was arrested in 2022.

Taiwanese murderer escapes death sentence in second trial

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Attempts to overturn life sentence in favor of death penalty may yet lead to Supreme Court

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A man who raped and killed a female model in Taipei's Nangang District in 2017 avoided a death sentence in a second trial that concluded on Tuesday (June 23).

In February 2017, Cheng Yu (程宇) invited a 23-year-old woman surnamed Chen (陳) to a photoshoot to take place in early March. 

Cheng used his then-girlfriend's Facebook account to send the invitation.

On the day of the photoshoot, Cheng took Chen to the basement of a building, where he raped and strangled her. 

Cheng stole the victim's cell phone and credit cards, which he later used to make purchases.

Prosecutors sought the death penalty for Cheng. In the first trial, the Shilin District Court sentenced Cheng to life in prison for the murder.

In order to overturn that sentence in pursuit of the death penalty, an appeal was issued to the Taiwan High Court, and the judges delivered their verdict on Tuesday, turning it down. 

Those who still wish to seek the death penalty for Cheng can take the further step of applying for a Supreme Court hearing.

High Court Spokeswoman Wang Ping-hsia (王屏夏) said that the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights have been internalized in Taiwan's law and that Cheng's acts were undeserving of a death sentence. 

Wang also cited an expert's psychological assessment of Cheng, which indicated that careful supervision would reduce the possibility of recidivism; therefore, the court held that it was not necessary to pursue capital punishment.

Source: taiwannews.com.tw, George Liao, June 23, 2020


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"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,
but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde
Location: Taiwan
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