Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

Article (news)

COURT-GAVEL

Agence France-Presse

<p>TAIPEI, Taiwan — Taiwan has carried out its first execution in nearly five years, drawing criticism from rights groups who said the use of capital punishment was a &quot;huge setback&quot; for the island&#x27;s human rights.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/overseas/10/10/22/taiwan-leader-says-no-room-for-compromise-on-freedom-democracy">Taiwan leader says &#x27;no room for compromise&#x27; on freedom, democracy</a></div><p>Death row inmate Huang Lin-kai, 32, who was found guilty of strangling to death his ex-girlfriend and her mother in 2017, was executed by shooting late Thursday.</p><p>&quot;The crimes Huang was involved in were cruel and callous. They were dehumanizing, extremely vicious and the culpability was extremely serious,&quot; the Justice Ministry said after the execution.</p><p>Taiwan has evolved from a dictatorship into one of Asia&#x27;s most progressive democracies, but surveys show most Taiwanese people support the death penalty.</p><p>The island has carried out 36 executions since a moratorium on capital punishment was lifted in 2010.</p><p>Thursday&#x27;s execution was the first under President Lai Ching-te, who took office in May 2024.</p><p>Under his predecessor Tsai Ing-wen, who also belongs to the Democratic Progressive Party, two people were executed.</p><p>Thirty-three death row inmates were executed during the presidency of Tsai&#x27;s predecessor, Ma Ying-jeou of the Kuomintang party.</p><p>Taiwan&#x27;s Constitutional Court ruled in September that capital punishment should be &quot;limited to special and exceptional circumstances&quot;.</p><p>Amnesty International Taiwan director E-Ling Chiu said Thursday&#x27;s execution was a &quot;shocking and cruel development&quot;.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/world/2024/5/29/number-of-executions-in-2023-highest-in-nearly-a-decade-amnesty-848">Number of executions in 2023 highest in nearly a decade: Amnesty</a></div><p>&quot;Taiwan&#x27;s Minister of Justice, with a strike of his pen, has undone several years of hard-fought progress towards the abolition of the death penalty. This is a huge setback for human rights in Taiwan,&quot; Chiu said.</p><p>The European Union said it condemned Huang&#x27;s crime &quot;in the strongest terms&quot; but insisted on its opposition to capital punishment in &quot;all circumstances&quot;.</p><p>&quot;The EU therefore calls on Taiwan to apply and maintain a de facto moratorium, and to pursue a consistent policy towards the full abolition of the death penalty in Taiwan,&quot; the bloc said in a statement.</p><p>Taiwan&#x27;s main opposition party, Kuomintang, previously criticized the Constitutional Court ruling as &quot;effectively abolishing&quot; the death penalty.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2025/1/2/saudi-executes-at-least-338-people-in-2024-afp-tally-1236">Saudi executes at least 338 people in 2024: AFP tally</a></div><p>On Thursday, the party urged the government to execute the 36 remaining death row inmates after their judicial process has ended.</p><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO: </strong></div><div><strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0LYZyjY5gt8?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong><br/></div>

<p>Death row inmate Huang Lin-kai, 32, who was found guilty of strangling to death his ex-girlfriend and her mother in 2017, was executed by shooting late Thursday.</p>

Death row inmate Huang Lin-kai, 32, who was found guilty of strangling to death his ex-girlfriend and her mother in 2017, was executed by shooting late Thursday.

Taiwan carries out first execution in five years

News

Entertainment

Lifestyle

Sports

Metro.Style

More

Traffic

Manila

Horoscope

World

Taiwan carries out first execution in five years

Agence France-Presse

Published Jan 17, 2025 03:16 PM PHT

Read More:

Taipei

Taiwan

execution

justice

politics

death row

capital punishment

death penalty

law

ANC

ABS-CBN is the leading media and entertainment company in the Philippines, offering quality content across TV, radio, digital, and film. Committed to public service and promoting Filipino values, ABS-CBN continues to inspire and connect audiences worldwide.

Corporate

Investors

Governance

International Distribution

Corporate

Governance

Investors

International Distribution

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

AI Policy

Terms of Service

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.