Civil groups yesterday called on the government to codify the UN Convention Against Torture into domestic law and set up a mechanism to prevent inhumane treatment.
The groups yesterday called a news conference at the legislature in Taipei to mark UN International Day in Support of Victims of Torture.
In attendance were representatives from the Humanistic Education Foundation, Covenants Watch, the Taiwan Association for Human Rights, the Taiwan Innocence Project, the Taiwan Alliance to End the Death Penalty, the Judicial Reform Foundation and Amnesty International.
Photo: CNA
Torture is internationally recognized as one of the most serious crimes that can be committed, and is condemned in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Covenants Watch chair Hsu Wei-chun (徐偉群) said.
The government under former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) twice submitted a bill to enact the UN Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, but they failed to pass, Hsu said.
The new government and legislature must take a more active approach, first by resubmitting and then passing the bill, he said.
They must also clearly define, identify and criminalize torture, and establish mechanisms for its prevention through a Cabinet-level working group, he added.
Although Taiwan cannot formally become a signatory of UN conventions, it has codified six international human rights conventions into domestic law.
Torture imparts enormous mental and physical suffering on the victims that is hard to overcome, even if they are vindicated, Taiwan Innocence Project executive director Lo Shih-hsiang (羅士翔) said.
The government must therefore enact the convention and establish a monitoring mechanism to make sure Taiwan is torture-free, he said.
Covenants Watch chief executive officer Huang Yi-bee (黃怡碧) also called for compensation for victims.
At the news conference, victim Wu Hsi-chun (吳希君) shared her experience of a psychiatric ward.
On three separate occasions, Wu said she was admitted to hospital after being declared mentally unstable.
She said she was forced to stay in a single room without sanitary facilities for 48 consecutive hours.
The lights were on the entire time and she was force-fed medication, injuring her throat, Wu said.
All people when carrying out their jobs must preserve basic human dignity, Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) said, adding that no one should ever be treated as Wu had been.
She also vowed that her party would prioritize the bill in the next legislative session.
SHIPS, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES: The ministry has announced changes to varied transportation industries taking effect soon, with a number of effects for passengers Beginning next month, the post office is canceling signature upon delivery and written inquiry services for international registered small packets in accordance with the new policy of the Universal Postal Union, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday. The new policy does not apply to packets that are to be delivered to China, the ministry said. Senders of international registered small packets would receive a NT$10 rebate on postage if the packets are sent from Jan. 1 to March 31, it added. The ministry said that three other policies are also scheduled to take effect next month. International cruise ship operators
NUMBERS IMBALANCE: More than 4 million Taiwanese have visited China this year, while only about half a million Chinese have visited here Beijing has yet to respond to Taiwan’s requests for negotiation over matters related to the recovery of cross-strait tourism, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. Taiwan’s tourism authority issued the statement after Chinese-language daily the China Times reported yesterday that the government’s policy of banning group tours to China does not stop Taiwanese from visiting the country. As of October, more than 4.2 million had traveled to China this year, exceeding last year. Beijing estimated the number of Taiwanese tourists in China could reach 4.5 million this year. By contrast, only 500,000 Chinese tourists are expected in Taiwan, the report said. The report
The Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency yesterday launched a gift box to market honey “certified by a Formosan black bear” in appreciation of a beekeeper’s amicable interaction with a honey-thieving bear. Beekeeper Chih Ming-chen (池明鎮) in January inspected his bee farm in Hualien County’s Jhuosi Township (卓溪) and found that more than 20 beehives had been destroyed and many hives were eaten, with bear droppings and paw prints near the destroyed hives, the agency said. Chih returned to the farm to move the remaining beehives away that evening when he encountered a Formosan black bear only 20m away, the agency said. The bear
HORROR STORIES: One victim recounted not realizing they had been stabbed and seeing people bleeding, while another recalled breaking down in tears after fleeing A man on Friday died after he tried to fight the knife-wielding suspect who went on a stabbing spree near two of Taipei’s busiest metro stations, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. The 57-year-old man, identified by his family name, Yu (余), encountered the suspect at Exit M7 of Taipei Main Station and immediately tried to stop him, but was fatally wounded and later died, Chiang said, calling the incident “heartbreaking.” Yu’s family would receive at least NT$5 million (US$158,584) in compensation through the Taipei Rapid Transit Corp’s (TRTC) insurance coverage, he said after convening an emergency security response meeting yesterday morning. National
RSS