Death Penalty News

Taipei, Aug. 5 (CNA) Taiwan's Supreme Court has rejected a request for a retrial from death row inmate Lu Wen-sheng (呂文昇), ruling that a lower court's decision to dismiss the petition was procedurally sound and legally valid. The ruling affirms an earlier decision by the Taichung Branch of the Taiwan High Court, which had found that Lu's request should have been filed with the Supreme Court, not a second-instance court, because his case had already gone through a third-instance trial. The court in Taichung also ruled that Lu failed to provide any new evidence that would meet the criteria for a retrial, such as evidence that the original sentencing did not consider key factors related to the death penalty.

Constitutional Court justice and Judicial Yuan president nominee Tsai Chiu-ming (蔡秋明) today expressed support for maintaining the death penalty and judicial reform. Tsai, who serves as Taiwan High Prosecutors' Office chief prosecutor, was speaking at a Legislative Yuan review of his nomination by President William Lai (賴清德). Asked by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Hsu Yu-chen (許宇甄) about ending the death penalty, Tsai said that he did not support its abolition. He supports Constitutional Judgement No. 8, he said.

Taipei, May 26 (CNA) The Supreme Court has remanded the case of a man sentenced to death for fatally shooting four people in central Taiwan in 2022, amid a tightening of the country's criteria for imposing capital punishment. The court ruled on Monday that the Taiwan High Court must separately assess the sentences for multiple crimes committed by Lee Hung-yuan (李鴻淵), a former employee of Nantou-based biotech contract manufacturer Kang Jian, citing Judgment No. 113-Hsien-Pan-8, issued in September 2024.

Taipei, Dec. 12 (CNA) A man found guilty of arson that resulted in the deaths of eight family members in June 2022 had his death sentence commuted to life imprisonment Wednesday as the Taiwan High Court determined he showed remorse by voluntarily turning himself in to the authorities. The decision can still be appealed. The death sentence handed down by the Hsinchu District Court to Chen Yen-hsiang (陳彥翔) who set fire to his home in Hsinchu in 2022, resulting in the death of eight, including his mother, wife and three children, was commuted to life in prison by the Taiwan High Court, High Court spokesman Wang Ping-hsia (王屏夏) said.

A court ruling in Taiwan could lead to abolishing capital punishment on the island. Given strong public support for the death penalty, how will the court reconcile constitutional human rights with Taiwanese society? Taiwan's Constitutional Court on Tuesday debated the island's death penalty and discussed whether it violates the rights guaranteed under the Taiwanese constitution.

Taipei, April 22 (CNA) Taiwan's constitutional court will convene a highly anticipated debate on Tuesday about whether the current death penalty system is constitutional, addressing an issue that has been contentious in Taiwan for decades. The debate, scheduled for Tuesday, will see attorneys Nigel Li (李念祖) and Jeffrey Li (李劍非) representing 37 prisoners currently on death row and challenging the constitutionality of capital punishment.

The Constitutional Court announced that it is to hear a case on the constitutionality of the death penalty and has scheduled oral arguments on April 23, attracting widespread attention. However, instead of delving into the core debate of whether the death penalty contravenes the Constitution, legislators across party lines and the media have been preoccupied by arguing whether the grand justices should or should not make a ruling.

KMT legislators call on government, Judicial Yuan to respect public opinion and keep death penalty TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Kuomintang (KMT) lawmakers held a press conference on Friday (March 22) at the Legislative Yuan urging the outgoing Tsai administration and the Constitutional Court not to abolish the death penalty in Taiwan.