Public can't have their cake, eat it too with death penalty

Tseng said, “Killing a person or two does not get you the death sentence,” sparking public outrage and renewed debate on capital punishment.

After the recent execution of six convicts, Control Yuan President Wang Chien-shien (王建煊) gave a “thumbs-up” to Justice Minister Tseng Yung-fu (曾勇夫) — in Taiwan, the justice minister's signature is required for a death sentence to be carried out.

As an avowed supporter of the death penalty, Wang said that he does not understand why a nation would be obliged to protect the rights of those sentenced to death.

In reference to the case of Chiang Kuo-ching (江國慶), Wang also pointed out that opponents of the death penalty frequently cite “miscarriage of justice” as one of their reasons.

“We cannot abolish punishments on the basis of judicial errors,” Wang argued.

While there is some truth behind that statement, Wang seems to have disregarded the issue of “irreversibility” entirely.

Chiang, a member of the Air Force, was executed in 1997 over the rape and murder of a 5-year-old girl. He was later acquitted of the charges in a posthumous trial, prompting President Ma Ying-jeou to issue a public apology to Chiang's family.

In 2000, former policeman Lu Cheng (盧正) was executed over the kidnapping and murder of a woman, despite compelling evidence that may have proved his innocence.

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