An agreement on the transfer of convicted and sentenced criminals between Taiwan and Switzerland took effect on Friday, the Ministry of Justice said in a statement on the same day.
The agreement was remotely signed by Trade Office of Swiss Industries Director Reto Renggli in Taipei on Nov. 13 and Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Switzerland Director David Huang (黃偉峰) on Friday in Bern, the statement said.
“Citizens of the two countries who are sentenced to jail in each other’s territory may under certain conditions apply for repatriation to serve the remainder of their terms in their home countries,” it said.
The measure conforms to human rights principles and allows the prisoners’ relatives to visit them more conveniently, it added.
The agreement was signed after three years of negotiations and is the fifth such deal reached between Taiwan and a European country, the ministry said, adding that agreements exist with Denmark, Germany, Poland and the UK.
To date, seven German, one British and one Danish convict have been transferred from Taiwan to their home country to serve their sentences, ministry data showed.
The number of Taiwanese prisoners repatriated from Europe was not immediately available.
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Friday condemned Chinese and Russian authorities for escalating regional tensions, citing Chinese warplanes crossing the Taiwan Strait’s median line and joint China-Russia military activities breaching South Korea’s air defense identification zone (KADIZ) over the past two days. A total of 30 Chinese warplanes crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait on Thursday and Friday, entering Taiwan’s northern and southwestern airspace in coordination with 15 naval vessels and three high-altitude balloons, the MAC said in a statement. The Chinese military also carried out another “joint combat readiness patrol” targeting Taiwan on Thursday evening, the MAC said. On
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