Groups call for abolishing death penalty（2011/10/10 CNA）

2011/10/10

 

Groups call for abolishing death penalty2011/10/10 23:00:42

Taipei, Oct. 10 (CNA) Amnesty International (AI) Taiwan and the Taiwan Alliance to End the Death Penalty on Monday, World Day Against the Death Penalty, reiterated their call for the government to abolish capital punishment in Taiwan and to align with international standards of human rights. 

"We will remember today as the birthday of Chiang Kuo-ching, instead of Taiwan's National Day," said Lin Hsin-yi, executive director of the alliance at a film-showing event organized by the two groups to raise public awareness of the issue of death penalty.

Chiang, born on Oct. 10, 1975, was an Air Force serviceman who was wrongfully executed on a rape and murder conviction 14 years ago. He was acquitted in a posthumous retrial by a military court Sept. 13, 2011. 

 

Lin and members of AI Taiwan urged the government to release Taiwanese death row inmate Chiu Ho-shun, whose death sentence was finalized in July. Chiu was convicted by the High Court of kidnapping and murdering a school child in 1987. 

Yang Tsung-li, deputy director of AI Taiwan, said that his organization believes Chiu have been forced into confession by torture. He criticized the court for not abiding by the principle of "innocent until proven guilty" and said AI Taiwan would continue to fight for the rights of death row inmates.