Death Penalty Information

Taiwan: Gov to request views on the death penalty TAIWAN:
Justice ministry to solicit views on scrapping death penalty

The Ministry of Justice said yesterday that it will solicit views from all
sectors of society this year on the issue of whether to abrogate capital
punishment.
Chang Chi-yun, director of the ministry's Department of Prevention,
Rehabilitation and Protection, said the ministry will conduct public
hearings, seminars as well as campus debates to invite the public to think
about and debate the issue.
In addition, the ministry is not ruling out the possibility of holding
another survey to learn the views of the public on the issue, Chang added,
noting that surveys on the issue have not been conducted for a long time.
He noted that President Chen Shui-bian said in 2000 that he wanted to
scrap the death penalty and that the ministry's policy to eventually
abrogate it remains unchanged.
Chang said he has met with members of groups in support of the abrogation
as well as family members of victims who are against the scrapping to
learn more about their views.
The ministry also held a seminar on phasing out capital punishment for the
first time last year, with the participants fully expressing their views,
Chang said. He noted that currently, the concept of getting even is still
prevalent in Taiwan and that the abrogation of the death penalty will have
to await "a maturing of society."
The ministry hopes that the public can think seriously about the right to
life through inter-school debates like the one held last year, he said.
The ministry will also hold public hearings in northern, central and
southern Taiwan this year, inviting people from all walks of life to
participate.
In addition, the ministry will commission the Crime Research Center under
National Chung Cheng University to study the issue.
(source: China Post)

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