Taiwan condemned over executions
Taiwan has executed
six death row inmates, the first use of the death penalty this year.
Campaigning human
rights group Amnesty International has condemned the move as "cold-blooded
killing".
The deputy justice
minister said the brutality of the men's crimes meant there was no reason to
show mercy.
The executions were
carried out in three separate prisons - two in the central city of Taichung and
two in the south of the island.
"How can the
government credibly claim it wants to see an end to the death penalty when it
continues to conduct such actions," said Amnesty International's Roseann
Rife 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."
Popular
support
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.
 |
| In Wuhan, China a convicted drug smuggler had only minutes to live when this photo was taken. She was executed by firing squad in 2003. |
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 favor,
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.
Peter’s
Piece
The politicians of Taiwan should ignore popular local opinion
when it goes against the principles of the United Nations Charter.
Murder is the ultimate crime whether committed by an
individual or a state.
Perhaps people who actively campaign for the death
penalty should themselves be tried for incitement to murder.
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