No end in sight

Faced with public intransigence and what they say is a flawed system, activists support an unofficial moratorium on capital punishment

By Celia Llopis-Jepsen
STAFF REPORTER
Sunday, Jan 04, 2009, Page 13 Taipei Times

On Jan. 17 of last year, Wang Kuo-hua (王國華) lost his third and final trial, sending him to death row on a charge of premeditated murder with rape.

The verdict, however, states that the survivor among Wang's two victims told the court Wang had not raped her or her friend, and her testimony did not indicate that he had planned the murder.

The case illustrates systemic problems with the nation's death penalty system that the Taiwan Alliance to End the Death Penalty (廢除死刑推動聯盟) has long campaigned to change.

It is not clear why Wang received the severest sentence, Taiwan Alliance director Lin Hsin-yi (林欣怡) said in a recent interview.

Furthermore, the judge said in the ruling that Wang was apparently mentally ill.

Yet none of these points was taken into account for the sentencing, Lin said.

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A Brief Introduction to a Buddhist View of the Death Penalty 

Jin-ker WEN *

Overview 

      Buddhism has had great influence in the history of Asia. Buddhist doctrines are still deeply rooted in people’s minds. According to research conducted in Taiwan, Buddhist scriptures reflect a clear and strong attitude against the death penalty. Historically Buddhist teachings have had a substantial impact on penalty policy in a number of countries. Given the current trend to abolish the death penalty promoted by international human rights groups, Buddhism can provide traditional thought and faith-based resources to urge those Asian countries where the death penalty has not yet been abolished to reflect upon their use of this form of punishment. 

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 Published on Taipei Times
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2008/11/30/2003429896

FEATURE: Alliance against death penalty fetes successes

By Celia Llopis-Jepsen
STAFF REPORTER
Sunday, Nov 30, 2008, Page 3

Taiwan Alliance to End the Death Penalty director Lin Hsin-yi, right, and fellow activists march in Paris after the third World Congress against the Death Penalty in February last year. PHOTO COURTESY OF TAEDP

When local nongovernmental organizations teamed up to create an alliance against capital punishment five years ago, the implementation of the death penalty in Taiwan was still very secretive. "At the beginning, it was very difficult for us even to find out how many people were on death row," Taiwan Alliance to End the Death Penalty (TAEDP) director Lin Hsin-yi (林欣怡) said in an interview with the Taipei Times.

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【TAEDP】

世界反死刑聯盟發表新聞稿表示，歡迎第63屆聯合國大會第三委員會投票通過【停止死刑執行（moratorium on executions）】的決議（紐約時間，2008年11月20日中午12:00）。總共有105個國家票贊成、48個國家反對以及31個國家棄權。第三委員會的投票結果，將會送到全會(plenary meeting）確認後正式通過。（但依照過往經驗，全會很少會否決各委員會的決議）

在去年（2008）年的聯合國大會也通過62/149號決議，同樣是【停止死刑執行（moratorium on executions）】，今年投票贊成的國家比去年多了兩個。停止死刑執行及廢除死刑已經成為全世界不可逆轉的趨勢了！

[WORLD COALITION AGAINST THE DEATH PENALTY] 20081120 Press Release

ADOPTION OF A NEW RESOLUTION ON MORATORIUM ON EXECUTIONS BY THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY THIRD COMMITTEE:
ONE MORE STEP TOWARDS UNIVERSAL ABOLITION

The World Coalition Against the Death Penalty welcomes the adoption by the Third Committee of the United Nations General Assembly of a second resolution calling for a universal moratorium on the use of the capital punishment.

Supported by an increasing number of co-sponsors countries (2 more countries), it reaffirms the resolution 62/149 of 18 December 2007 “Moratorium on the use of the death penalty” and recognizes “the global trend towards the abolition of the death penalty”.

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Whither the death penalty?

5 November 2008 (Taipei Times)

Yesterday, as Indonesia increased security ahead of the execution of the three Islamic militants convicted in the 2002 Bali bombings, a seminar in Taipei brought French and Taiwanese legal specialists together to discuss how Taiwan can continue its path toward abolishing capital punishment.

The carnage wrought by the terrorists behind the bombings, in which 202 people were killed, was an unspeakable crime.

It may seem difficult in this context to argue for the abolition of the death penalty, but the message at yesterday’s forum was clear: The death penalty is a violation of human rights, illegal in all cases under international law.

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2008-10-19 CNA

TAIPEI, Taiwan –– The Taiwan Alliance to End the Death Penalty (TAEDP) and three European offices in Taiwan will organize a series of activities in early November to encourage the abolition of the death penalty and help advance the debate on the issue in Taiwan, the alliance said Friday.

One of the centerpiece events will be a seminar Nov. 6-7 called “New Perspectives on Abolishing the Death Penalty, “ organized by the TAEDP and the German Institute in Taipei.

German scholars will discuss the issue from different perspectives, such as the relationship between the abolition of the death penalty and social safety, victim protection and prison reform.

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2008-10-19 Taipei Times

NEW PERSPECTIVES: Saying that the Criminal Code calls for re-educating and reforming prisoners, not killing them, the alliance seeks an end to the death penalty in Taiwan

STAFF WRITER, WITH CNA

The Taiwan Alliance to End the Death Penalty and three European offices in Taiwan will organize a series of activities early next month to encourage the abolition of the death penalty and help advance the debate on the issue.

One of the centerpiece events will be a seminar on Nov. 6 and Nov. 7 called “New Perspectives on Abolishing the Death Penalty,” organized by the alliance and the German Institute in Taipei, the alliance said on Friday.

German academics will discuss the issue from a variety of perspectives such as the relationship between the abolition of the death penalty and social safety, victim protection and prison reform.

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