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.
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