In response to reports that executions may proceed today:
Any executions at this point in time would be illegal
According to today’s copies of the Liberty Times and United Daily, the Ministry of Justice has stepped up its plans to carry out executions. At the earliest, executions are expected today. The Liberty Times reported that up to five people would be put to death. According to the United Daily, the ministry’s task group on executions met quietly to finalize the list of those to be executed and forwarded at least two execution orders to the Minister of Justice for his signature.
Under Article 6, Paragraph 4 of the ICCPR: “Anyone sentenced to death shall have the right to seek pardon or commutation of the sentence. Amnesty, pardon or commutation of the sentence of death may be granted in all cases.” This is legally binding in Taiwan. Taiwan passed the ICCPR in 2009 and incorporated it into domestic law the same year (the Act to Implement the ICCPR and ICESCR).
In response to Minister of Justice Tseng Yung-fu’s statement that there could be “an opportunity this month” to carry out executions:
At the legislature yesterday morning (March 1), Minister of Justice Tseng Yung-fu said in response to a question from Legislator Wu Yu-sheng that there could be “an opportunity this month” to carry out executions. Tseng said the Ministry of Justice is investigating whether any inmates currently on death row do not have pending applications for extraordinary appeal, retrial or judicial review. The ministry would proceed to the next step in such cases, he said, meaning that “there would be an opportunity [to carry out executions] this month” (Central News Agency).
The Taiwan Alliance to End the Death Penalty (TAEDP) would like to draw attention to the following:
While the Supreme Court considers an appeal against the “not guilty verdict” in the cases of Liu Bing-lang, Su Chien-ho and Chuang Lin-hsun, collectively known as the “Hsichih Trio”, Amnesty International urges the Taiwanese authorities to promptly address flaws in this judicial proceeding, including allegations of torture and immediately establish a moratorium on the use of the death penalty as a first step towards its abolition.
