Taiwan condemned over executions
Taiwan has executed six death row inmates, the first use of the death penalty this year.
The deputy justice minister said the brutality of the men's crimes meant there was no reason to show mercy. Campaigning human rights group Amnesty International has condemned the move as "cold-blooded killing".
The executions - by shooting - "made a mockery of the authorities' stated commitment to abolish the death penalty", Amnesty said in a statement.
"It is abhorrent to justify taking someone's life because prisons are overcrowded or the public's alleged support for the death penalty," the statement said.
Popular support The executions were carried out in three separate prisons in different parts of the country - two in the capital, Taipei, two in the central city of Taichung and two in the south of the island.
All six of the men had been convicted of murder.
The BBC's Cindy Sui, in Taipei, says the executions come at a time of inflamed public debate about the death penalty following the death of a boy in a video arcade.
Local media reported the 29-year-old suspect had said he would get life in prison at most "even if he were to kill two or three".
He also reportedly said he would get free room and board in prison.
The reports led to public calls for all of those on death row to be executed.
A spokeswoman for the ministry of justice said that the executions had been carried out on a Friday evening to avoid a strong public reaction.
Though religious and human rights groups oppose capital punishment, most victims' families are in favour, and surveys suggest that most of the population also support the death penalty.
The ministry said it has the obligation to carry out the law until there is public consensus on abolishing the death penalty.
According to the state-run Central News Agency, there are a total of 55 death row inmates following the executions.
Taiwan executed five prisoners in March 2011 and four in April 2010.
The 2010 executions were the first after a hiatus that had lasted since 2005, when it adopted an informal moratorium on the death penalty.
親愛的朋友，
請不要對我們說「很抱歉，我做的不夠多」、「對不起，
我們，作為一般人民，至少試著瞭解、
雖然今天已經發出了「是芥末日」廢話電子報，但是，很抱歉的，
晚安，雖然很難眠，但要試著睡覺。很喜歡Mr. Children的一首歌「為了誰」，大家請點進去看看歌詞，
廢死聯盟秘書處
欣怡、佳臻、仁郡
2012/12/21 11:40
2012/12/21
死刑沒有嚇阻犯罪的效果
我們非常遺憾台灣政府於今天再次執行曾思儒、洪明聰、陳金火、
死刑不能嚇阻犯罪
許多研究指出，死刑存廢與犯罪率並無相關，
因此，在諸多已經廢除死刑的國家，犯罪率也未見增長。
剖析台灣近19年的數據，死刑的判決數量以及槍決執行數量，
值得我們深思的是，台灣於2010年重啟執行槍決4人後，
我們並非不負責任的僅僅主張廢除死刑，
附件：2010年台灣死刑報告｜廢除死刑推動聯盟
柒、結論與建議
台灣政府右手簽署兩公約，左手卻加速扣板機的速度。
我們認為，在社會未能達成共識之前，先暫停執行，擬定一段時間，
因此，廢除死刑推動聯盟對政府的十項建議如下：
- 暫停死刑執行。
-
在暫停死刑執行期間，應提出「台灣邁向廢除死刑」的步驟、
時程表及提出替代死刑的刑罰方案，並尋求社會共識。 - 加強被害人保護制度。
-
積極修法，包括(1)死刑判決由合議庭一致決為之；(2)
最高法院針對死刑案件開言詞辯論；(3) 死刑案件第三審要律師強制辯護；(4)修改赦免法；(5) 及其它違背兩公約的死刑相關法令。 - 死刑執行訊息應透明，包括應事先通知家屬及公佈執行名單及時間；
同時主管機關也應定期公佈死刑統計資訊，如死刑犯的性別、年紀、 社經地位、是否為精神、智能障礙者、是否為累犯等； 檢察官求處死刑、法官判處死刑的數據； 被判處死刑的主要罪名以及犯罪率等統計。 - 邀請專家學者對法官、檢察官宣講與廢除死刑相關之國際趨勢，
加強推動法官、檢察官的國際人權法教育。 - 加強、落實監獄的教化功能。
- 建置嚴格的假釋審核機制及假釋後的更生輔導。
- 改進待決死囚在監所中的人道處遇方式。
- 重新思考死囚器官捐贈的倫理問題。
國際特赦組織新聞稿
台灣│不顧承諾 執行六名死刑
台灣：不顧承諾執行六名死刑
國際特赦組織表示，台灣於週五執行六人死刑，
曾思儒、洪明聰、黃賢正、陳金火、
這次的槍決是今年該國首次行刑。2011年曾有5人遭到處決，
「這是台灣當局的冷血殺戮，
台灣當局多次宣布他們希望跳脫使用死刑的手段，
法務部次長陳守煌於12月19日表示當局會依照自己的進度來執行
上個月，前聯合國「酷刑與其它殘酷、非人道、
「
「與其以此作為軟弱的藉口，當局更應該落實他們尊重人權的承諾，
台灣並未提供死刑犯任何管道，使他們得以尋求赦免或減刑，這是《
死刑犯家屬並不會事先被告知預定的行刑計畫，
此外，台灣的死刑施行還有嚴重的公平審判問題。四月時，
國際特赦組織對於所有案件皆反對死刑，不論犯罪的本質為何、
21 December 2012
Taiwan: Broken promises as six executed
A Taiwanese activist stands in front of a billboard reading 'say no to the death penalty'
© AFP/Getty Images
At a Glance
- The six men were executed by shooting
- Five people were executed in 2011
- 55 people are awaiting execution and have exhausted all appeals
Zeng Si-ru, Hung Ming-tsung, Huang Hsien –cheng, Chen Chin-huo, Kuang Te-chiang and Tai Te-ying were executed earlier today at different locations across Taiwan.
The executions by shooting are the first in the country this year. Five people were executed in 2011 and 55 people are awaiting execution and have exhausted all appeals.
"This is cold-blooded killing by the Taiwanese authorities. How can the government credibly claim it wants to see an end to the death penalty when it continues to conduct such actions?” said Roseann Rife, Head of East Asia at Amnesty International.
The authorities have repeatedly declared their intention to move away from using the death penalty and lead a public debate on the issue.
Deputy Justice Minister Chen Shou-huang said on 19 December that the authorities would carry out death sentences on its own schedule and will not be influenced by foreign experts.
Last month, Manfred Nowak, a former UN Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and Eibe Riedel, a member of the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, called on President Ma Ying-jeou urging that Taiwan implement a moratorium on executions.
This came ahead of their scheduled visit to Taiwan next year to review the government’s report on implementation of the two UN Human Rights Treaties – the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
"It is abhorrent to justify taking someone’s life because prisons are overcrowded or the public’s alleged support for the death penalty. The death penalty is never the right answer and must never be used, including as a tool for crime prevention, repression or any other policies,” said Rife.
“Instead of offering feeble excuses the authorities should deliver on their commitments to respect everyone's human rights, and move to end the use of the death penalty."
Taiwan provides no procedure that would allow people on death row to seek a pardon or for the sentence to be commuted – a right recognized by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which the Taiwanese parliament has voted to implement.
Family members are not informed about scheduled executions in advance. They only find out when they are invited to collect the body from the mortuary.
In addition, serious fair trial concerns have marked the imposition of the death penalty in Taiwan.
In April, Taiwan's High Court quashed the convictions of three men sentenced to death over the murder of a couple 21 years ago, as it found that the convictions were based on unreliable confessions:
Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all cases without exception regardless of the nature of the crime, the characteristics of the offender, or the method used by the state to carry out the execution.
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