Abolition Of Death Penalty Requires Public Support: Ministry
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| Premier Jiang Yi-huah (CNA file photo) |
Taipei, April 20 (CNA) Responding to a call by the European Parliament for an immediate end to the use of capital punishment in Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) reiterated Saturday that such a step cannot be taken in the country without the support of the people.
"The government must gather people's opinions to obtain consensus" on the issue, MOFA spokeswoman Anna Kao told reporters, one day after Taiwan executed six death row inmates.
The executions prompted Barbara Lochbihler, chair of the Subcommittee on Human Rights in the European Parliament, to issue a call for Taiwan to abolish the death penalty.
But Kao said the government must clear people's doubts on the issue and at the same time, propose a reasonable and appropriate alternative to the death penalty that would allow a gradual reduction of its use.
The foreign ministry, nonetheless, has taken note of the most recent expression of concern by the European Parliament over Taiwan's enforcement of the death penalty, Kao said.
Taiwan has high respect for human rights and is trying to take greater care and ensure justice in the process of handing down the death penalty, she said.
The matter of abolishing capital punishment involves a wide range of issues, and public opinion must be taken into consideration, Kao said.
Friday's executions brought to 21 the number of convicts put to death in Taiwan since April 2010, when the country ended an informal 52-month moratorium on the death penalty amid public calls for severe punishment against crimes.
The executions have drawn criticisms by international organizations devoted to the protection of human rights, including the European Union and Amnesty International.
On Saturday, Premier Jiang Yi-huah said majority public opinion in Taiwan favors retention of the death penalty.
He noted that there are some people in the society who wish to abolish the death penalty, as do some European countries, but said most people still think capital punishment should be retained for certain major crimes.
Under such circumstances, Jiang said, he supports the Ministry of Justice's decision to carry out death row executions in cases where there is no chance of overturning the convictions and there is no other solution.
State executions are "in keeping with the law and the society's expectations," the premier said.
(By Roggy Chen, Liu Li-jung and Elizabeth Hsu)
"The government must gather people's opinions to obtain consensus" on the issue, MOFA spokeswoman Anna Kao told reporters, one day after Taiwan executed six death row inmates.
The executions prompted Barbara Lochbihler, chair of the Subcommittee on Human Rights in the European Parliament, to issue a call for Taiwan to abolish the death penalty.
But Kao said the government must clear people's doubts on the issue and at the same time, propose a reasonable and appropriate alternative to the death penalty that would allow a gradual reduction of its use.
The foreign ministry, nonetheless, has taken note of the most recent expression of concern by the European Parliament over Taiwan's enforcement of the death penalty, Kao said.
Taiwan has high respect for human rights and is trying to take greater care and ensure justice in the process of handing down the death penalty, she said.
The matter of abolishing capital punishment involves a wide range of issues, and public opinion must be taken into consideration, Kao said.
Friday's executions brought to 21 the number of convicts put to death in Taiwan since April 2010, when the country ended an informal 52-month moratorium on the death penalty amid public calls for severe punishment against crimes.
The executions have drawn criticisms by international organizations devoted to the protection of human rights, including the European Union and Amnesty International.
On Saturday, Premier Jiang Yi-huah said majority public opinion in Taiwan favors retention of the death penalty.
He noted that there are some people in the society who wish to abolish the death penalty, as do some European countries, but said most people still think capital punishment should be retained for certain major crimes.
Under such circumstances, Jiang said, he supports the Ministry of Justice's decision to carry out death row executions in cases where there is no chance of overturning the convictions and there is no other solution.
State executions are "in keeping with the law and the society's expectations," the premier said.
(By Roggy Chen, Liu Li-jung and Elizabeth Hsu)
Courtesy: Focus Taiwan News Channel
