Taipei, June 3 (CNA) International human rights organizations repeated their appeals to the Taiwan government Thursday to restore an unofficial moratorium on executions to spare the lives of 40 death row inmates.
Amnesty International and the Anti-Death Penalty Asia Network (ADPAN) issued separate statements to express their regret over a decision reached May 28 by the Justices of Constitutioal Court to reject a petition filed by the Taiwan Alliance to End the Death Penalty (TAEDP) on behalf of the prisoners.
ADPAN urged Taiwan to halt further executions following the April 30 execution of four prisoners and to either consider alternatives to capital punishment or re-introduce an unofficial moratorium.
Amnesty International argued that Taiwan's application of the death penalty is unconstitutional and violates the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights that was signed by President Ma Ying-jeou in May last year and incorporated into the domestic laws of Taiwan.
Provisions for legal representation, particularly in the final stages of trials, and opportunities to debate appropriate sentencing during trials are inadequate, the organization said in the statement. (By Chris Wang) ENDITEM/J