國際特赦組織新聞稿：台灣五年來首度執行死刑
國際特赦組織新聞稿
2010年4月30日
台灣五年來首度執行死刑
國際特赦組織譴責台灣政府將四位死刑犯處決。這是台灣自2005年12月以來首度執行死刑。
張俊宏、洪晨耀、柯世銘與張文蔚己於4月30日晚間分別於台北、台南和台中監所遭到處決。
就在行刑前兩週，新任法務部長曾勇夫還曾經公開表示廢除死刑為終極目標。
「執行這些死刑已使該國的人權紀錄蒙上陰影，並且公然違背法務部長先前所宣示的廢除死刑目標。」國際特赦組織亞太部副主任凱瑟琳‧巴珀（Catherine Baber）說。
前法務部長王清峰於三月間請辭，引起國際對台灣死刑問題的關注。王清峰曾因個人反對死刑的理念而拒絕簽署死刑執行令。
「全世界曾期待台灣政府選擇堅守人權立場，並領導亞太地區朝廢除死刑邁進。但今天的執行已令世人徹底失望。」凱瑟琳‧巴珀（Catherine Baber）表示。
台灣有關當局今天仍然表示將考量死刑的替代方案，但持續執行死刑將使此一承諾流於空談。
139個國家已經在法律上或實務上廢除死刑。國際特赦組織呼籲台灣當局立即停止執行死刑，並採取一切必要步驟廢除該國的死刑。
背景說明
國際特赦組織反對任何情況下的死刑，因為死刑違反生命權，而且是極端殘忍、不人道和侮辱人格的懲罰。
國際特赦組織認為，死刑是將不可回復的國家暴力合法化。研究已經證明，死刑的適用經常帶有歧視，被不成比例地施於窮人、少數群體、和種族、族群或宗教社群的成員。死刑的審判過程也常常極不公正。
即便是經過符合國際標準的公平審判，也無法完全排除錯殺無辜的風險──事實一再證明，死刑必然造成無辜生命受害。科學研究也一直無法找出可信的證據，證明死刑比其他刑罰更能嚇阻犯罪。
聯合國大會已於2007年和2008年兩度以壓倒性多數作成決議，呼籲全世界以廢除死刑為目標，暫停執行死刑。
[ENGLISH]
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL Press Release
30 April 2010
Taiwan carries out first executions in five years
Amnesty International has condemned the execution of four prisoners by the Taiwanese authorities, the first since December 2005.
Chang Chun-hung, Hung Chen-yao, Ko Shih-ming and Chang Wen-wei were executed in prisons in Taipei, Tainan and Taichun on the evening of 30 April.
The executions come just two weeks after new Minister of Justice Tseng Yung-fu was reported as saying that his ultimate goal is the abolition of the death penalty.
“These executions cast a dark shadow on the country’s human rights record, and blatantly contradict the Justice Minister’s previously declared intention to abolish the death penalty,” said Catherine Baber, Amnesty International’s Asia-Pacific Deputy Director.
The resignation of Wang Ching-feng as Minister of Justice last March sparked international attention over the issue of the death penalty in Taiwan. Wang Ching-feng had refused to sign execution orders because of her opposition to the death penalty.
“The world was looking to the Taiwanese authorities to choose human rights, and to show leadership on the path towards abolishing the death penalty in the Asia-Pacific. Today’s executions extinguished that hope,” said Catherine Baber.
The Taiwanese Alliance to End the Death Penalty has raised concerns over the legality of the executions.
The Taiwanese authorities stated today that they are still considering alternatives to the death penalty, but such commitments are of little value while executions continue.
139 countries have abolished the death penalty in law or practice. Amnesty International calls upon the Taiwanese authorities to immediately establish a moratorium on executions and take all the necessary steps to abolish the death penalty in the country.
Background
Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all cases, as a violation of the right to life and the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment.
Amnesty International believes that the death penalty legitimizes an irreversible act of violence by the state. Research demonstrates that the death penalty is often applied in a discriminatory manner, being used disproportionately against the poor, minorities and members of racial, ethnic and religious communities. The death penalty is often imposed after a grossly unfair trial.
But even when trials respect international standards of fairness, the risk of executing the innocent can never be fully eliminated – the death penalty will inevitably claim innocent victims, as has been persistently demonstrated. Scientific studies have consistently failed to find convincing evidence that the death penalty deters crime more effectively than other punishments.
Two resolutions, calling for a worldwide moratorium on executions with a view to abolishing the death penalty, were adopted at the United Nations General Assembly in December 2007 and 2008 by an overwhelming majority of states.
Public Document
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International Secretariat, Amnesty International, 1 Easton St., London WC1X