The Ministry of Justice yesterday said it would “cautiously” review its options for all death row inmates, but would neither abolish the death sentence nor turn its back on the spirit of two international treaties that Taiwan has signed.
The comments came after 11 murder cases rocked the nation over the past month.
Research shows no direct correlation between upholding the death penalty and decreasing homicides, the ministry said, adding that it would “cautiously” handle the issue of capital punishment, as Taiwan has signed the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
While the nation has ratified both treaties, the ministry said that Item 2, Article 1 of the Second Optional Protocol to the ICCPR, which stipulates that “each state party shall take all necessary measures to abolish the death penalty within its jurisdiction,” does not apply to Taiwan, as it is not a member of the UN.
However, Taiwan must be extremely cautious in its handling of such issues and strive to abide by the spirit of both treaties, the ministry said, adding that the nation should also seek to avoid incidents like the Chiang Kuo-ching (江國慶) case.
Chiang was accused of raping and killing a girl surnamed Hsieh (謝) in 1996 at Air Force Command Headquarters in Taipei and pleaded guilty after being tortured. He was executed in 1997 at the age of 21.
On Sept. 13, 2011, a military court exonerated Chiang in a posthumous trial.
The ministry said that it established a task force six years ago to examine the viability of abolishing capital punishment, but executions continue to be carried out.
The latest death row inmate to be executed was Cheng Chieh (鄭捷) on May 10, 2016. Cheng killed four people on May 21, 2014, during a stabbing spree.
No judicial judgement or execution could help solve the social or other problems that lead people to commit crimes, Minister of Justice Chiu Tai-san (邱太三) said.
Significant changes to family life, education, society and even the economy over the past few years have significantly affected people’s lives, and these problems are the root causes of an increase in criminal activity, he said.
The judiciary is on the back end and can only hand out appropriate sentences for crimes that have already been committed, he added.
Chiu suggested that a social safety network be established that would involve the ministries of the interior, education and labor to tackle the root causes of increased criminal activity.
A Taiwanese software developer has created a generative artificial intelligence (AI) model to help people use AI without exposing sensitive data, project head Huang Chung-hsiao (黃崇校) said yesterday. Huang, a 55-year-old coder leading a US-based team, said that concerns over data privacy and security in popular generative AIs such as ChatGPT and DeepSeek motivated him to develop a personal AI assistant named “Mei.” One of the biggest security flaws with cloud-based algorithms is that users are required to hand over personal information to access the service, giving developers the opportunity to mine user data, he said. For this reason, many government agencies and
The National Fire Agency on Thursday said a series of drills simulating a magnitude 8.5 earthquake would be held in September to enhance the government’s emergency response capabilities. Since earthquakes cannot be predicted, only by continuously promoting disaster prevention measures could Taiwan enhance its resilience to earthquakes, agency Director-General Hsiao Huan-chang (蕭煥章) said in a news release. The exercises would be held to mark annual National Disaster Prevention Day on Sept. 21, the aim of which is to test Taiwan’s preparedness and improve its earthquake resilience in case of a major temblor, Hsiao said. As part of those drills, an earthquake alert would
DEFENSE: The National Security Bureau promised to expand communication and intelligence cooperation with global partners and enhance its strategic analytical skills China has not only increased military exercises and “gray zone” tactics against Taiwan this year, but also continues to recruit military personnel for espionage, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said yesterday in a report to the Legislative Yuan. The bureau submitted the report ahead of NSB Director-General Tsai Ming-yen’s (蔡明彥) appearance before the Foreign and National Defense Committee today. Last year, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) conducted “Joint Sword-2024A and B” military exercises targeting Taiwan and carried out 40 combat readiness patrols, the bureau said. In addition, Chinese military aircraft entered Taiwan’s airspace 3,070 times last year, up about
STRICTER ENFORCEMENT: Taipei authorities warned against drunk cycling after a sharp rise in riding under the influence, urging greater public awareness of its illegality Taipei authorities have issued a public warning urging people not to ride bicycles after consuming alcohol, following a sharp rise in riding under the influence (DUI) cases involving bicycles. Five hundred and seven people were charged with DUI last year while riding YouBikes, personal bicycles, or other self-propelled two-wheelers — a fourfold increase from the previous year, data released by the Taipei Police Department’s Traffic Division showed. Of these, 33 cases were considered severe enough to be prosecuted under “offenses against public safety,” the data showed. Under the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act (道路交通管理處罰條例), bicycles — including YouBikes and other
RSS