Taiwan's Chen for abolishing death penalty in lower case

Taipei, May 11 (UNI) Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian has reaffirmed his resolve to gradually phase out the death penalty and eventually enshrine the idea in the country's Constitution.

Mr Chen spelled out his stance on capital punishment yesterday during a meeting with Theodoor C Van Boven, a world-famous Dutch human rights expert who is visiting Taipei along with his wife.

On mounting callsfrom human rights advocacy groups at home and abroad for abolition of the death penalty, the Presaident said he personally favours doing away with such a drastic form of punishment, reports Central News Agency of Taiwan (CNA).

Nevertheless, he told his guest that Taiwan society has yet to reach a consensus on the issue, with as many as 80 per cent of ordinary citizens surveyed in various opinion polls unfailingly opposing any calls for the outlawing of the death penalty.

However, if complementary measures are put in placesuch as raising the ceiling on prison sentences or tightening up parole restrictions for those sentenced to life imprisonment, Chen said, about 40 per cent of the respondents in the opinion surveys would support the death penalty abolition proposal.

Against this backdrop, he said his administration has adopted a gradual manner in addressing relevant issues. As the first step, many laws have been revised in recent years to reduce the number of capital offenses or crimes punishable by death.

''Nowadays, crimes for which the only punishment is death are few, '' the President said, adding that in most cases, judges now can use their discretion on either sentencing a serious offender to death or life imprisonment without probation and parole.

In less than 10 years, Mr Chen said, the number of convicts executed per year has dropped to nil. He noted that in1998, 32 convicted felons were executed, and the number has since declined steadily, particularly after he assumed the presidency May 20, 2000.

''Only 17 death-row inmates were executed in 2000, and the number dropped to 10 the following year and further down to three in 2005,'' Chen said, adding that no one was executed last year.

Noting that his administration is pushing for constitutional re-engineering, Mr Chen said it is hoped that a national consensus on abolishing capital punishment can be forged gradually to pave the way for enshrining relevant notions and provisions in the revised Constitution.

UNI