A victory on the road to abolition
~ Book review of Staving off the Executioner: Taiwan’s Unofficial Moratorium
Celia Llopis-Jepsen
Editor, Taipei Times
In December 2006, a Taiwanese death row inmate named Chong De-shu came within days, perhaps hours, of being executed. The dramatic series of events that saved his life marked the start of Taiwan’s unofficial moratorium on the death penalty. Today, Taiwan has not carried out any executions since late 2005.
Staving off the Executioner: Taiwan’s Unofficial Moratorium tells the story — in both English and Chinese — of how Chong’s execution was stopped against all odds by Taiwanese lawyers and NGO workers who barely thought it was possible, but were not willing to give up. It is an inspiration for abolitionists everywhere who may feel they face insurmountable obstacles.