Abolition of death penalty a long and winding road: activist

“While some people say the campaign is going backwards, I'm not that pessimistic. I can't remember the last time a serious social issue like this was discussed in newspapers and on television for such a long time. More discussion is good for the campaign in the long run, “ said Lin Hsinyi, executive director of Taiwan Alliance to End the Death Penalty (TAEDP).

The controversial issue made headlines again in Taiwan over the past month, leading to debates in the legislature and among the public that eventually brought about the resignation of former Minister of Justice Wang Ching-feng, who publicly expressed her anti-death penalty stance and pledged not to sign any execution orders during her tenure.

Lin said she respected Wang's integrity in standing by her own belief, but that her choice of words in public addresses could have been better, referring to Wang's remark that she was “willing to go to hell in the place of those death row inmates.”

There are 44 death row inmates in Taiwan and no executions have been carried out since December, 2005.According to Amnesty International, there are 95 abolitionist countries in the world and Taiwan is among 58 countries that retain the death penalty for ordinary crimes — as opposed to “exceptional crimes” such as those covered by military law or wartime crimes.

Lin said that the comment, like every time a violent crime occurs, stimulated public sentiment that in turn resulted in opinion polls showing more than 70 percent of the public are against abolition of the death penalty.

She said the controversy showed the lack of determination of most Taiwan politicians, who want to be seen as supporting human rights but disappointingly waver in face of public sentiment.

Starting in the previous administration under the now-opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), Taiwan's government has voiced a long-term goal of abolishing the death penalty. The current administration of President Ma Ying-jeou incorporated a pair of United Nations covenants — the International Covenant on Civil Rights and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights — into domestic law last year.

“Before strong public opinion was aroused, it seemed to be a roadmap for us that would eventually lead to complete abolition, “ Lin said.

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