Taiwan moved one step closer to the abolition of capital punishment yesterday after Minister of Justice Tseng Yung-fu (曾勇夫) proposed that the death penalty be gradually phased out and replaced by life imprisonment without parole.
The Ministry of Justice will propose the amendment to the Criminal Code (刑法) introducing the new penalty as part of a broader package including educational and legal aid to victims of violent crime within one year, Tseng said in the legislature.
However, the minister also said that the first execution of one of the 44 inmates currently on death row would most likely take place before the end of the year after Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators expressed concern over the delay.
The government has not carried out a death sentence since 2005.
KMT Legislator Wu Yu-sheng (吳育昇) said that a number of concerns have been raised as to whether death penalty inmates might be pardoned by President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) during the nation’s centennial celebrations next year.
Meanwhile, KMT lawmakers also called on the ministry to consider allowing life imprisonment without parole and capital punishment to co-exist, giving judges an additional sentencing choice.
Recent opinion polls show that seven out of 10 Taiwanese are opposed to the abolition of the death penalty, an issue that Tseng promised to address, saying that he was not opposed to holding a referendum on the subject.
Despite taking steps toward abolition, the ministry has so far declined to confirm whether it would also propose revisions to the Criminal Code such as removing capital punishment entirely.
Speaking on the issue, Tseng said that there was no timetable, adding that the ministry “could not move” until some sort of public consensus is reached.
Meanwhile, during the legislative hearing, Tseng also proposed that the ministry establish a new type of prison facility designed specifically to house those sentenced to life without parole, citing differences in the management of different types of inmates and the need to prevent prison overcrowding.
“Our position is that we need to deal with current cases according to what already exists in the law books. However, it remains our goal to gradually reduce the use of capital punishment through the use of substitute sentencing,” Tseng said.
A panel held by the ministry late last month came to the conclusion that several laws, including those protecting crime victims and beefing up public security, would have to be passed before Taiwan moves to give up capital punishment.
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was questioned by prosecutors for allegedly orchestrating an attack on a taxi driver after he was allegedly driven on a longer than necessary route in a car he disliked. The questioning at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office was ongoing as of press time last night. Police have recommended charges of attempted murder. The legally embattled actor — known for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代) — is under a separate investigation for allegedly using fake medical documents to evade mandatory military service. According to local media reports, police said Wang earlier last year ordered a
CAUTION: Based on intelligence from the nation’s security agencies, MOFA has cautioned Taiwanese travelers about heightened safety risks in China-friendly countries The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday urged Taiwanese to be aware of their safety when traveling abroad, especially in countries that are friendly to China. China in June last year issued 22 guidelines that allow its courts to try in absentia and sentence to death so-called “diehard” Taiwanese independence activists, even though Chinese courts have no jurisdiction in Taiwan. Late last month, a senior Chinese official gave closed-door instructions to state security units to implement the guidelines in countries friendly to China, a government memo and a senior Taiwan security official said, based on information gathered by Taiwan’s intelligence agency. The
President William Lai (賴清德) should protect Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), and stop supporting domestic strife and discord, former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) wrote on Facebook yesterday. US President Donald Trump and TSMC on Monday jointly announced that the company would invest an additional US$100 billion over the next few years to expand its semiconductor manufacturing operations in the US. The TSMC plans have promoted concern in Taiwan that it would effectively lead to the chipmaking giant becoming Americanized. The Lai administration lacks tangible policies to address concerns that Taiwan might follow in Ukraine’s footsteps, Ma wrote. Instead, it seems to think it could
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, said yesterday that it is looking to hire 8,000 people this year, at a time when the tech giant is expanding production capacity to maintain its lead over competitors. To attract talent, TSMC would launch a large-scale recruitment campaign on campuses across Taiwan, where a newly recruited engineer with a master’s degree could expect to receive an average salary of NT$2.2 million (US$60,912), which is much higher than the 2023 national average of NT$709,000 for those in the same category, according to government statistics. TSMC, which accounted for more than 60 percent
RSS