TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — KMT Chair Eric Chu (朱立倫) said Thursday (Dec. 12) his party would scrutinize Constitutional Court justice nominees based on their stance toward capital punishment, adding he was strongly opposed to what he called the DPP’s agenda to abolish capital punishment.
Chu pointed to the recent case of convicted arsonist Chen Yen-hsiang (陳彥翔), who set fire to his family’s house after a dispute in June 2022, killing eight family members. Chen had initially been sentenced to death, but the sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment on appeal, per CNA.
The mother and sisters of Chen’s deceased wife condemned the new sentencing, calling it unacceptable. In a letter, the mother questioned the purpose of having capital punishment if the standard for its application was so high that it failed to apply in Chen’s case.
Chu argued the current legal standards, which he believes have effectively abolished capital punishment in practice, disregard the needs of victims’ families, per CNA. He described the new ruling in Chen’s case as harmful to human rights and reiterated the KMT would continue to oppose any moves to abolish capital punishment in Taiwan.
In response to rumors that the opposition may reject justice nominees based on their views on capital punishment, DPP Caucus Leader Wu Szu-yao (吳思瑤) urged lawmakers to consider the nominees as a whole, rather than focusing on a single issue, per CNA.
Wu said that it is natural for individuals to hold differing opinions in a diverse society, but that should not interfere with the justices' ability to make independent judgments.
Wu also highlighted the academic and practical experience of the nominees, expressing her excitement over the possibility of Taiwan electing the first female justice minister in Asia. She called on her fellow legislators to avoid unfairly judging the nominees based on isolated cases or issues.
During the legislative hearings for the justice nominees, only one nominee, Judicial Yuan vice president nominee Yao Li-ming (姚立明), publicly expressed support for capital punishment. Even so, Yao advocated for stricter requirements for its application, per CNA.
Other nominees stated their opposition to capital punishment but opposed its abolition, citing reasons such as the belief that the issue of abolition should be addressed by the Legislative Yuan.
