Capital punishment is a legal penalty in Taiwan. The list of capital offences, for which the death penalty can be imposed includes murder, treason, drug trafficking, piracy, terrorism, and especially serious cases of robbery, rape, and kidnapping, as well as military offences, such as desertion during war time. In practice, however, all executions in Taiwan since the early 2000s have been for murder.[1]
Before 2000, Taiwan had a relatively high execution rate, when strict laws surrounding capital punishment were still in effect.[2] However, controversial legal cases during the 1990s and the changing attitudes of officials towards abolition of the death penalty resulted in a significant drop in the number of executions, with only three in 2005 and none between 2006 and 2009. Executions resumed in 2010, and according to polls, more than 80% of Taiwanese people support the continued use of capital punishment.[3]
A 2024 poll found that 84% of Taiwanese oppose abolition of the death penalty.[4][5]
- ^ Li, Sarah. "Inside the fight to end Taiwan's death penalty". FairPlanet. Retrieved 2023-01-20.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2006-10-17.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ Jou, Susyan; Hebenton, Bill (1 Dec 2019). "Support for the Death Penalty in Taiwan?: a Study of Value Conflict and Ambivalence". Asian Journal of Criminology. 15 (2): 163–183. doi:10.1007/s11417-019-09305-z.
- ^ "Poll: Majority of Taiwanese oppose death penalty abolition". TVBS News. Taipei. 27 May 2024.
- ^ "Poll: 85% of public supports death penalty". Radio Taiwan International. 27 May 2024.