In its latest human rights report released Wednesday, Amnesty International said Taiwan has further implemented international human rights standards. It noted the progress Taiwan has made in amending laws to adhere to important conventions on women’s and children’s rights.
Although it is not a member of the UN, Taiwan pledged last September to amend 228 laws to comply with the Convention to Eliminate All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). Laws were also enacted to implement the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities by 2017.
But the report also said there were serious concerns over Taiwan’s freedom of assembly, freedom of speech and Taiwan's use of the death penalty. The report mentioned the mass protests that took place at the legislature last year had raised concerns about the questioning of over 200 protestors and the possibility of those protestors being prosecuted.
It also expressed concern about the overcrowded, unsanitary conditions and inadequate medical care in prisons, and the rights of Taiwanese LGBT.
Amnesty International called on candidates in Taiwan’s 2016 presidential election to make human rights a priority.