The execution of an inmate on Thursday by Taiwan, marking the first death penalty carried out by the island’s authorities in five years, has sparked condemnation from rights groups.
Death row inmate Huang Linkai, who was convicted of raping and murdering his ex-girlfriend and killing her mother in 2013, was executed at the Taipei detention centre, according to the Ministry of Justice.
This marks the first execution order signed by minister of justice Cheng Ming-chien since assuming office in May last year.
In 2017, the Supreme Court upheld Linkai’s death sentence for the murder of his ex-girlfriend and affirmed a life imprisonment sentence without parole for the killing of her mother.
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Prosecutors, at the time, attributed the double homicide to anger over the breakup and a financial dispute.
On 16 January, the Taiwanese minister of justice authorised the execution of Linkai, despite unresolved concerns about constitutional standards for the death penalty in the country. The constitutional court had earlier acknowledged flaws in its application, mandating reforms by 2026, including unanimous judgments and stringent review processes.
Linkai’s lawyer filed an appeal citing these issues, but the execution proceeded.
His execution has upset the European Union and several rights groups across the world who called it “unlawful”.
E-Ling Chiu, Amnesty International Taiwan’s director, said the execution was a “huge setback for human rights in Taiwan”.
“This execution is a shocking and cruel development. Taiwan’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.
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“The execution of Huang Linkai was carried out in violation of constitutional and international safeguards on the use of the death penalty, and while an appeal filed by his lawyer to stop the execution was still pending before the courts. This renders his execution unlawful and arbitrary, in violation of the right to life,” Ms Chiu said.
“It is horrifying that the execution was carried out at a few hours’ notice, without the possibility of any last family visits. The death penalty is a cruel and irreversible punishment and the Taiwanese authorities have implemented it in a way that shows an utter disregard for the rights of those affected.
“We urge Taiwan’s government to immediately halt any plans to carry out further executions. Instead, the authorities must immediately change course and establish an official moratorium on executions as the first critical step towards abolition of the death penalty,” she said.
Taiwan’s most recent execution took place on 1 April 2020.
By 31 December 2023, 37 of the 45 individuals on death row will have their sentences finalised and face the possibility of execution.
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Globally, 113 countries have abolished the death penalty for all crimes, while 144 are abolitionist in law or practice.
The EU also condemned the execution and expressed condolences to Linkai’s family. “The European Union condemns this crime in the strongest terms and expresses its sincere sympathy to the family of the victims. At the same time, the EU recalls its opposition to capital punishment in all cases and all circumstances,” it said in a statement.
“The EU believes that the death penalty is an inhumane and degrading punishment, which represents the ultimate denial of human dignity. Evidence shows clearly that the death penalty has little or no effect in deterring or reducing crime.
“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.”
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