Is the TW govt in a rush to execute those on death row because they think that the death penalty will soon be effectively non-practiced? I am FOR the death penalty in principle because some people really do deserve to be removed from society as soon as possible. So long as the person is proven beyond any reasonable doubt. We dont want anyone innocent executed.
But this current seeming “rush” to execute is slightly troubling. Does the current Justice Minister want to make sure these guys are done with as many expect TW will soon ban executions?
And executing people at this time may compromise TW 's desire for visa free status in Europe , considering the general dis-approval of the death penalty in Europe. So in that sense it may be ill timed.
Just for the record, I’m neutral about the death penalty, [strike]but I’m disturbed by some KMT members’[/strike] but I would be disturbed by some KMT members’ behavior if they weren’t KMT members.
From the above statements, it appears that some KMT members are willing to go outside the ordinary processes for these kinds of things and hastily put people to death in order to impress the electorate that they are tough on crime. And all of this was seemingly in response to Wang Ching-feng’s statements.
I wonder if many Taiwanese could see through that, or even noticed it. Whether one supports the death penalty or not, putting someone to death is a grave matter; it’s not something to toy with in order to impress somebody.
This is from the Taiwan News article you linked to, tommy:
[quote]Justice Minister Tseng Yung-fu stressed that there is no set timetable for the execution of the 40 inmates and that the killings will not be carried out simultaneously.[/quote] Well, it’s good to know that at least one person in that bunch knows how to act like he’s got a lick of sense.
Prez Horse was the Justice MInister and refused to sign the death warrant for the Hsichih Trio. A proper decision as there is no irrefutable evidence they were indeed guilty. But they are still going to trial over that. Released from prison and then back to prison. I think they are still in jail. They dont have double jeopardy in TW.
Resurrecting this long-dormant thread as I cannot find much other discussion about the death penalty in Taiwan (in contrast to robust debate about its use internationally).
In January 2022, there are reportedly 38 inmates awaiting execution in Taiwan. In that group, 37 are men. The lone woman is Lin Yu-ju (林于如). Her story, with many twists-and-turns from Tainan to Nantou, is the subject of a fascinating and disturbing feature in today’s Taipei Times by contributing reporter Joe Henley. It’s a sobering read.
You know the interesting thing in Taiwan is, all execution is done by firing squad. This is a throwback to military rule as firing squad is a military execution (supposedly because there is little chance of botching it, compared to say hanging).
One reason why the nazi war criminals were hanged after the Nuremberg trial was to send a message that those people are criminals, not soldiers. Also because it’s REALLY easy to botch a hanging, so that the person will suffocate to death rather than have his neck snapped by the rope.
There’s a theory that the US retained the electric chair precisely because it was easy to make it go horribly wrong.
I agree with CD that executions are best avoided, regardless of the nature of the crime, particularly in countries like Taiwan. There are no States that are so whitewash-pure that they can claim the moral high ground, or judicial infallibility.
They are not done by firing squad
There is a lone executioner
The person is drugged and put on their stomach
And a paper heart is put over the heart area on the back and one shot at point blank range
Is fired on the paper heart killing the person pretty fast
If the heart is to be donated the person is shot in the back of the head
That’s called a coup de grace. It’s still a form of firing squad.
But how do they insert doubt to prevent PTSD or guilt from the executioner? Usually in a firing squad one of the firearms is loaded with blank to produce that doubt (but if you fired a blank you will know real quick).
Some people joke about executions being a way to distract the population. I guess we’ll see what happens the next time the government messes up Probably not how things work, but I do feel the current government will maintain this façade of keeping the death penalty around but not actually signing any execution orders. Polls indicate that the population is supportive of the death penalty, and it really isn’t close. Whether that’s rational or not, it would be political suicide to officially abolish the death penalty.
One of the interesting things about the Tsai administration is the way it has at times zigged when the polls indicate it should zag. Examples include pension reform for public servants, passing the same-sex marriage act, and allowing the import of unpopular ractopork from the US. I imagine the next item on the list would be to allow the import of currently banned foods from Fukushima and environs.
Put otherwise, Tsai has used (and almost certainly will use) her political capital, sometimes in surprising ways, to work toward broader government objectives (human rights issues, geopolitics and trade, etc).
She might get more “human rights” capital from abolishing the death penalty, but if I watch her pattern I imagine her next target may be the currently banned food from Japan. But really with this decidedly non-populist government, who knows?
Probably not how things work, but I do feel the current government will maintain this façade of keeping the death penalty around but not actually signing any execution orders. Polls indicate that the population is supportive of the death penalty, and it really isn’t close. Whether that’s rational or not, it would be political suicide to officially abolish the death penalty.