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.
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) today condemned the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) after the Czech officials confirmed that Chinese agents had surveilled Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) during her visit to Prague in March last year. Czech Military Intelligence director Petr Bartovsky yesterday said that Chinese operatives had attempted to create the conditions to carry out a demonstrative incident involving Hsiao, going as far as to plan a collision with her car. Hsiao was vice president-elect at the time. The MAC said that it has requested an explanation and demanded a public apology from Beijing. The CCP has repeatedly ignored the desires
Many Chinese spouses required to submit proof of having renounced their Chinese household registration have either completed the process or provided affidavits ahead of the June 30 deadline, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said on Thursday. Of the 12,146 people required to submit the proof, 5,534 had done so as of Wednesday, MAC deputy head and spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. Another 2,572 people who met conditions for exemption or deferral from submitting proof of deregistration — such as those with serious illnesses or injuries — have submitted affidavits instead, he said. “As long as individuals are willing to cooperate with the legal
The Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant’s license has expired and it cannot simply be restarted, the Executive Yuan said today, ahead of national debates on the nuclear power referendum. The No. 2 reactor at the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant in Pingtung County was disconnected from the nation’s power grid and completely shut down on May 17, the day its license expired. The government would prioritize people’s safety and conduct necessary evaluations and checks if there is a need to extend the service life of the reactor, Executive Yuan spokeswoman Michelle Lee (李慧芝) told a news conference. Lee said that the referendum would read: “Do
The Ministry of Environment yesterday held a seminar in Taipei for experts from Taiwan and Japan to exchange their experiences on the designs and development of public toilets. Japan Toilet Association chairman Kohei Yamamoto said that he was impressed with the eco-toilet set up at Daan Forest Park, adding that Japan still faces issues regarding public restrooms despite the progress it made over the past decades. For example, an all-gender toilet was set up in Kabukicho in Tokyo’s Shinjuku District several years ago, but it caused a public backlash and was rebuilt into traditional men’s and women’s toilets, he said. Japan Toilet Association
RSS