Capital punishment is a legal form of punishment in the Republic of China (Taiwan) so far. Before 2000 Taiwan had a relatively high execution rate (the data released by Executive Yuan's Ministry of Justice showed that 658 people, including 6 females, were executed in Taiwan between January 1950 and March 2001. ^[1] This number excludes military executions) when some strict laws were still active and the political environment was harsh. However after some controversial cases during the 1990s plus President Chen Shui-bian's attitude towards abolition, the number of executions drops significantly since 2002, with only 3 executions in 2005 and none in 2006 so far. Capital punishment, or the death penalty, is the execution of a convicted criminal by the state as punishment for crimes known as capital crimes or capital offences. ... Look up Punishment in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Motto: None Anthem(s): National Anthem of the Republic of China Capital Taipei City (de facto) Nanjing (de jure)1 Largest city Taipei City Official language(s) Mandarin (GuóyÇ”) Government Semi-presidential system  - President Chen Shui-bian  - Vice President Annette Lu  - Premier Su Tseng-chang Establishment Xinhai Revolution   - Declared... This article is about the year 2000. ... The Executive Yuan (行政院; literally executive court) is the executive branch of the government of the Republic of China. ... 1950 (MCML) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... See also 1990s, the band The 1990s decade refers to the years from 1990 to 1999, inclusive, sometimes informally including popular culture from the very late 1980s and from 2000 and beyond. ... Chen Shui-bian, President of the Republic of China Chen Shui-bian (ch. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Crimes Eligible for Death Penalty

Under military law

The Republic of China Military Criminal Code(中華民國陸海空軍刑法) rules the following crimes eligible for death penalty on ROC military personnels:^[2]: The Republic of China (ROC) maintains a large military establishment, which accounted for 16. ...

• Treason (Article 14,15)
• Collaborationism (Article 17,18)
• Espionage (Article 19,20)
• Defection (Article 24)
• Malfeasance (Article 26,27)
• Disclosure of intelligence or secrets (Article 31)
• Desertion (Article 41,42)
• Disobeying orders (Article 47,48)
• Mutiny (Article 49,50)
• Hijacking (Article 53)
• Destroying military supplies and equipments (Article 58)
• Stealing and selling ammunition (Article 65)
• Fabricating orders (Article 66)

For other uses, see Treason (disambiguation). ... Collaborationism, as a pejorative term, can describe the treason of cooperating with enemy forces occupying ones country. ... Espionage is the practice of obtaining information about an organization or a society that is considered secret or confidential (spying) without the permission of the holder of the information. ... In politics, a defector is a person who gives up allegiance to one state or political entity in exchange for allegiance to another. ... The expressions misfeasance and nonfeasance, and occasionally malfeasance, are used in English law with reference to the discharge of public obligations existing by common law, custom or statute. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... Mutiny is the crime of conspiring to disobey an order that a group of similarly-situated individuals (typically members of the military; or the crew of any ship, even if they are civilians) is legally obliged to obey. ... Categories: Wikipedia cleanup | Stub | Crimes | Terrorism | IT ... Boxes of ammunition clog a warehouse in Baghdad Ammunition is a generic military term meaning (the assembly of) a projectile and its propellant. ...

Under common law

The Republic of China Criminal Code(中華民國刑法) rules the following offenses eligible for death penalty, although none of them carries mandatory death penalty^[3]:

• Treason (Article 101)
• Espionage (Article 103,104,105,107)
• Hijacking (Article 185-1)
• Murder (Article 271,272)
• Robbery with murder, rape, or arson (Article 332)
• Piracy (Article 333,334)
• Kidnapping (Article 347,348)

Other special laws which rule capital offenses: Arsonists redirects here. ... The flag of 18th-century pirate Calico Jack Piracy is robbery committed at sea, or sometimes on the shore, by an agent without a commission from a sovereign nation. ...

• Manufacture, trafficking or selling of heroin, opium, morphine or cocaine (Act for the Control of Drug Abuse,毒品危害防制條例 Article 4)^[4]
• Manufacture, trafficking or selling of firearm weapons (Act for the Control of Weapons,槍炮彈藥刀械管制條例 Article 7)^[5]
• Serious counterfeiting (Act for the Punishment of Counterfeiting,妨害國幣懲治條例 Article 3)^[6]

To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Opium, or opïum is a narcotic analgesic drug which is obtained from the unripe seed pods of the opium poppy (Papaver somniferum L. or the synonym paeoniflorum). ... Morphine (INN) (IPA: ) is an extremely powerful opiate analgesic drug and is the principal active agent in opium. ... Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. ... An assortment of modern handheld firearms using fixed ammunition, including military assault rifles, a sporting shotgun (fourth from bottom), and a tactical shotgun (third from bottom). ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ...

Defunct Laws

The following 2 laws ruled certain offenses to carry mandatory death penalty. More than half of the executed 658 people mentioned eariler lost their lives because of these 2 laws:

• Act for the Control and Punishment of Rebellion (懲治叛亂條例, rescinded in May 1991^[7]) which ruled mandatory death penalty on treason, espionage and defection. This law was applicable to both military and common courts and played an important role during the white terror period. Related information about some people executed according to this law was not publicized because they were court-martialled. For example, Bo Yang and Shih Ming-teh were ever sentenced to death by this law, however they were finally given life imprisonment due to worldwide political pressure during trial.

• Act for the Control and Punishment of Banditry (懲治盜匪條例, rescinded in January 2002^[8]) which ruled mandatory death penalty on kidnapping, piracy, or robbery along with murder, rape, or arson.

1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... It has been suggested that The White Terror (France) be merged into this article or section. ... A court-martial (plural courts-martial) is a military court that determines punishments for members of the military subject to military law. ... Bo Yang (柏楊, born 1920) is a Mainlander-born writer based in Taiwan. ... Shih Ming-teh (Chinese: ; pinyin: ShÄ« Míngdé, a. ... Life ; many countries have a maximum possible period of time a prisoner may be incarcerated, or require the possibility of parole after a set amount of time. ...

Execution Process

A Taiwanese judicial execution requires the final sentence from the Supreme Court of the Republic of China and the death order signed by the Minister of Justice. After the Supreme Court makes a final death sentence, the case will soon be transferred to the Ministry of Justice, waiting for the Minister of Justice to rule a final secret execution date. Generally the Ministry of Justice will allow some time for the condemned person to meet his or her family and folks, arrange religious activities, and even get married before the execution. Should any new evidences which may influence the verdict are discovered during this period, the condemned prisoner can appeal to the Ministry of Justice and the Minister of Justice may return the case back to Supreme Court for retrial. However such cases are very rare. The President of Republic of China can also award clemency, but so far only President Chiang Kai-Shek ever exercised this legal right on an individual prisoner once in 1957^[9]. President Lee Teng-hui also ever ruled out 2 nationwide commutations in 1988^[10] and 1991^[11] in which 2 murderers were commuted from death penalty to life imprisonment. Supreme Court of the Republic of China is the court of last resort in the Republic of China. ... The Office of the President of the Republic of China is located in Zhongzheng District, Taipei City. ... A pardon is the forgiveness of a crime and the penalty associated with it. ... Chiang Kai-shek (October 31, 1887–April 5, 1975) was a Chinese military and political leader who assumed the leadership of the Kuomintang (KMT) after the 1925 death of Sun Yat-sen. ... 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This is a Chinese name; the family name is 李 (Li). ... In Law, a commutation of sentence occurs when an executive head of government reduces a sentence for a criminal action. ... 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Life ; many countries have a maximum possible period of time a prisoner may be incarcerated, or require the possibility of parole after a set amount of time. ...

The death order from the Minister of Justice will be received and performed by High Court's prosecutor office so executions are carried out inside the detention houses of the 5 cities with high court: Taipei, Taichung, Tainan, Kaohsiung and Hualien. Like Japan, Taiwanese death row inmates are kept in detentions houses but not prisons, and are kept under harsher conditions than general prisoners. They are imprisoned 2-4 persons together in a cell, handcuffed and fettered all day long, only allowed to leave the cell half an hour a day for exercise, but are allowed to read censored newspapers and books as well as hold religion activities with permitted religious personnels. Nickname: the City of Azaleas Government Official Website City of Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou Capital District Xinyi Geographical characteristics Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 16 of 25 271. ... Taichung (Chinese: 臺中市 or 台中市; Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Tai-chung; POJ: Tâi-tiong) is a city located in west-central Taiwan with a population of just over one million people, making it the third largest city on the island, after Taipei and Kaohsiung. ... Tainan is the name of a city and a county in southwestern Taiwan. ... Kaohsiung City (Traditional Chinese:高雄市, Tongyong Pinyin: Gaosyóng, Hanyu Pinyin: Gāoxióng, POJ: Ko-hiông; coordinates 22°38N, 120°16E) is a city located in southern Taiwan. ... Hualien City (Chinese: 花蓮市; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Hua-lien; POJ: Hoa-liân-chhÄ«) is the capital of Hualien County, Taiwan Province of the Republic of China. ... Death Row is a term used in some countries, including the United States, which refers to the section of a prison that houses individuals awaiting execution. ... A pair of metal double-locking police handcuffs A woman cuffed with handcuffs and thumbcuffs Handcuffs are devices to secure two wrists close together. ... Fetters, shackles or leg irons are a kind of physical restraint used on the feet or ankles. ...

Executions are carried out by shooting at heart from the back, or at head if the prisoner consents to donate organs. The execution time used to be 6AM, but was changed to 9PM since 1995 to reduce officials' workload. Executions are performed secretly: nobody will be informed beforehand, the condemned prisoner inclusive. Before execution a last meal will be served and the prisoner will be asked last words. The condemned prisoner will then be injected with strong anaesthetic to leave him or her completely senseless, and a bullet soon takes the prisoner's life. After execution the prosecutor office in charge will announce the execution publicly and detailedly. Although the Ministry of Justice ever studied other methods since early 1990s, firing squad(formed by local bailiffs or military polices) is the only execution method ever used in Taiwan so far. Execution by firing squad is a method of capital punishment, especially in times of war. ... The heart and lungs, from an older edition of Grays Anatomy. ... 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The last meal is a traditional part of a condemned prisoners last day. ... The Last Words - Malcolm Baxter (vocals), Andy Groome (guitar), Leigh Kendall (bass), John Gunn (drums) - were one of the first Australian punk bands. ... Anesthesia (AE), also anaesthesia (BE), is the process of blocking the perception of pain and other sensations. ... See also 1990s, the band The 1990s decade refers to the years from 1990 to 1999, inclusive, sometimes informally including popular culture from the very late 1980s and from 2000 and beyond. ... Execution by firing squad is a method of capital punishment, especially in times of war. ... Bailiff (from Late Latin bajulivus, adjectival form of bajulus) is a governor or custodian (cf. ... It has been suggested that Gendarmerie be merged into this article or section. ...

Taiwanese military sentences and executions are administered only by the Ministry of National Defense and have nothing to do with the Ministry of Justice. Military sentences and executions are carried out in the military courts and prisons across the island as well as Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu. Unlike the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of National Defense does not compile detailed information concerning this issue so the real situation is unclear. The Republic of China (ROC) maintains a large military establishment, which accounted for 16. ... The Pescadores Islands (Chinese: 澎湖群島; Wade-Giles: Peng-hu; Pinyin: Pénghú, from Portuguese, fishermen) are an archipelago in the Taiwan Strait. ... Quemoy, Kinmen, or Chinmen (金門, pinyin: Jīnmén, POJ: Kim-mn̂g) (pop. ... The Matsu Islands (馬祖列島 or less frequently, 馬祖群島 Pinyin: MÇŽzÇ”) are a minor archipelago of 19 islands and islets in the Taiwan Strait administered as Lienchiang County (連江 Pinyin: Liánjiāng), Fukien Province of the Republic of China (ROC, now based on Taiwan). ...

Execution Statistics

Unlike Singapore, Taiwan's Ministry of Justice annually publishes detailed statistics on this year's executions, including the executed people's name, age, sex, crime, nationality, education, etc. The detailed numbers of executions since 1987 are listed below^[12][13]: 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The execution number was at its height in late 1980s and early 1990s when the martial law was just lifted and the social order suddenly broke out. The strict Act for the Control and Punishment of Banditry took many prisoners' lives at that time. The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... See also 1990s, the band The 1990s decade refers to the years from 1990 to 1999, inclusive, sometimes informally including popular culture from the very late 1980s and from 2000 and beyond. ... Martial law is the system of rules that takes effect (usually after a formal declaration) when a military authority takes control of the normal administration of justice. ...

Among the executed include a small number of people from the People's Republic of China, the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. They were executed in Taiwan for committing kidnapping, murder or drug trafficking^[14][15][16].

Controversial Death Sentences

There existed accounts in which the organs were picked up while the excuted prisoners were still medically alive.^[17][18] Tortures also exist in the investigation process, and they would seriously compromise the credibility of the made verdicts.^[19]

The Hsichih Trio case

In March 1991 Hsichih couple Wu Ming-han(吳銘漢) and Yeh Ying-lan(葉盈蘭) were found robbed and brutally murdered inside their apartment. In August 1991 Hsichih police seized their neighbor Wang Wen-hsiao(王文孝), a youngster who was then serving in the ROC Marines Corps, based on a Wang's bloody fingerprint found in the scene. Wang confessed he murdered the couple after they discovered his housebreaking and burglary, but local police doubted how come he alone could have killed 2 adults easily. After torture Wang confessed another 3 1972-born youngsters who lived in the same community, Su Chien-ho(蘇建和), Chuang Lin-hsun(莊林勳) and Liu Bin-lang(劉秉郎) as accomplices. These 4 youngmen further confessed they gang raped Yeh Ying-lan during their action, but the autopsy after murder did not check Yeh's genitals because her body was badly wounded and by the time they were seized, Yeh's body was already buried and corrupted. Sijhih (汐止; Wade_Giles: Hsichih; Hanyu Pinyin: Xizhi; Tongyong Pinyin: Sijhih), also commonly spelled Hsichih, is a city in Taipei County, Taiwan Province of the Republic of China. ... The Republic of China Marine Corps (中華民國海軍陸戰隊) is the amphibious arm of the Republic of China Navy responsible for amphibious combat, counter-landing and reinforcement of remote islands, defense of ROCN facilities, and also functions as a rapid reaction force and a strategic reserve. ... The tip of a finger showing the friction ridge structure. ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... At law, an accomplice is a person who actively participates in the commission of a crime, even though they take no part in the actual criminal offence. ... For the domesticated crop plant called rape, see rapeseed. ... An autopsy, also known as a post-mortem examination or an obduction, is a medical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse to determine the cause and manner of a persons death and to evaluate any disease or injury that may be present. ...

Wang Wen-hsiao was court-martialled and quickly executed in January 1992. The other 3 defendants were prosecuted by the Act for the Control and Punishment of Banditry which ruled compulsory death penalty for their crimes. During trial the 3 defendants repeatedly claimed they were forced to make fake confessions under torture and they were not guilty, but the judges did not believe them. 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... A defendant or defender is any party who is required to answer the complaint of a plaintiff or pursuer in a civil lawsuit before a court, or any party who has been formally charged or accused of violating a criminal statute. ...

In February 1995 the Supreme Court of the Republic of China condemned the 3 defendants to death. Originally, they 3 would have been shot within short time, but then Minister of Justice Ma Ying-jeou refused to sign their death warrant and returned the whole case back to Supreme Court in hope for a retrial, mainly due to: 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Supreme Court of the Republic of China is the court of last resort in the Republic of China. ... Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九; Hanyu Pinyin: Mǎ Yīngjiǔ; Wade-Giles: Ma Ying-chiu; Tongyong Pinyin: Ma Yingjiou) (born July 13, 1950) was elected mayor of Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China (ROC) in 1998 and reelected in 2002. ...

• The only 2 evidences to prove the 3 defendants' guilt was Wang Wen-hsiao's confessions and the NT$ 24 dollars found in Chuang Lin-hsun's home which was considered as booty. These evidences are too weak: Wang Wen-hsiao was executed too early to witness the case, and NT$ 24 dollars was a very small amount.

• All 4 defendants claimed they have been tortured without lawyer present during police interrogation, but the judges did not investigate this point thoroughly. Wang Wen-hsiao's brother Wang Wen-chung(王文忠) even claimed Hsichih police originally asked his brother to confess him as accomplice, but was refused.

• There was no way to prove Yeh Ying-lan was really raped.

Between 1995 and 2000 Ma Ying-jeou and his 2 successors filed several retrial requests to the Supreme Court, but all of them were rejected. Meantime this case drew the attention of Amnesty International and was widely broadcast throughout the world, nicknamed as "the Hsichih Trio"^[20]. The New Taiwan Dollar (新臺幣 or 新台幣; ISO 4217 code TWD; common abbreviation NT$), or simply Taiwan Dollar, is the currency of the Republic of China (on Taiwan). ... The traditional meaning of booty is something both valuable and acquired by force or daring. ... Amnesty International (commonly known as Amnesty or AI) is an non-governmental membership organization with the stated purpose of campaigning for internationally recognized human rights. ...

After long time effort Taiwan's Supreme Court finally ruled out a retrial on May 19, 2000, just one day before President Chen Shui-bian's inauguration. In January 13, 2003 Taiwan High Court verdicted that they 3 were not guily and released them, but the victims' families were unwilling to accept this verdict and kept on appealing. This case is still not settled so far, but with time passing the truth may remain unknown forever, and the 3 defendants' lives were already ruined. May 19 is the 139th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (140th in leap years). ... This article is about the year 2000. ... Chen Shui-bian, President of the Republic of China Chen Shui-bian (ch. ... January 13 is the 13th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... An appeal is the act or fact of challenging a judicially cognizable and binding judgment to a higher judicial authority. ...

Lu Jeng's case

Tainan native Lu Jeng(盧正), an unemployed former policeman, was charged of the kidnapping and murder of a local woman who herself and her husband were both Lu's high school classmates in December 1997. The Supreme Court of the Republic of China condemned Lu to death in June 2000 but Lu's family pointed out several suspicious points^[21]: 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

• Like the Hsichih Trio, Lu Jeng was long time tortured by police and was forced to make fake confessions.

• The judges intentionally ignored an apparent alibi that Lu Jeng was together with his juvenile niece during the exact time of the murder.

• The real kidnapper phoned the victim's husband during the crime. If Lu Jeng did commit the kidnapping, the victim's husband should have been able to identify Lu's voice.

• The verdict stated that the victim was strangled to death by Lu Jeng's shoelaces. However the autopsy showed the victim's strangulation burn did not match Lu's shoelaces.

Despite these suspicious points, then Minister of Justice Chen Ding-nan still gave order to Lu Jeng's execution on September 7, 2000, just one day before that year's Mid-Autumn Festival. It was rumored that Lu Jeng remained sober after receiving 5 anaesthetic injections at 3AM so the firing squad had to shoot him while he was conscious, and his eyes remained opened after his death, a sign of injustice according to Chinese tradition. Lu Jeng's family kept on protesting but there is no concrete official response so far. For alibi used in the sense of a legal defense, see the Wiktionary entry Alibi. ... Chen Ding-Nan (b. ... September 7 is the 250th day of the year (251st in leap years). ... This article is about the year 2000. ... Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations in Victoria Park, Hong Kong. ...

President Chen Shui-bian's policy towards abolishing death penalty

These 2 controversial cases apparently influenced local judicial system. Chen Ding-nan publicly announced his attitude towards abolishing death penalty in May 2001^[22] and his standpoints were further backed by President Chen Shui-bian^[23][24]. Although the right to abolish death penalty is held on the Legislative Yuan which is dominated by the opposing Pan-blue coalition(as well as being more conservative on this issue), meantime the Democratic Progressive Party government informally give moratorium by not signing death warrants except serious and uncontroversial big cases. As a result, the number of executions drops significantly since 2002. In an October 2006 interview, Chen Ding-nan's successor Shih Mao-lin(施茂林) said he would not sign any death warrant of the 19 defendants who were already condemned to death by Supreme Court in near future, because their cases were still being reviewed inside the Ministry^[25]. Such condition may remain until Chen Shui-bian's tenure expires on May 20, 2008. Chen Shui-bian, President of the Republic of China Chen Shui-bian (ch. ... The Legislative Yuan building in Zhongzheng District, Taipei City (the view is blocked by the childrens hospital building of the National Taiwan University Hospital). ... The Pan-Blue Coalition (Traditional Chinese: 泛藍聯盟; Simplified Chinese: 泛蓝联盟; Hanyu Pinyin: ), or Pan-Blue Force (Traditional Chinese: 泛藍軍; Simplified Chinese: 泛蓝军; Hanyu Pinyin: ), is a political coalition in Taiwan, consisting of the Kuomintang (KMT), the People First Party (PFP), and the smaller New Party (CNP). ... The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) (Traditional Chinese: 民主進步黨; Simplified Chinese: 民主进步党; abbrev. ... In law, a moratorium (from Latin morari, to delay) is a legal authorization postponing for a specified time the payment of debts or obligations. ... May 20 is the 140th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (141st in leap years). ... 2008 (MMVIII) will be a leap year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External Links

• The Ministry of Justice of the Republic of China
• The Judicial Yuan of the Republic of China