The brutal slaying of a four-year old girl in Taipei last week has led to a renewed debate in Taiwan about the use of the death penalty. Some lawmakers have called for a mandatory death sentence for child murderers。
Taiwan’s last execution took place shortly after a prominent murder, leading to media speculation that other executions might be planned soon. But at a meeting on the death penalty Wednesday, Justice Minister Lo Ying-shay said that there is no timetable in place for executions. She said that the justice ministry takes every case very seriously.
“All of the 42 capital punishment cases are handled by the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office on an individual basis. Every case is studied carefully, and if there is any dispute, an ad-hoc group is set up to do an in-depth investigation. Only after this is completed do we go on to the next step," said Lo.