In 1999, as a freelance journalist in Taiwan for the Judicial Reform Foundation. In a Taipei detention centre, I met three young men who were sentenced to die. The first time I met someone in death row was when I visited a detention center in Taipei. I immediately knew these men were innocent.
Lu Cheng was also sentenced to die for murder. But I didn’t get the chance to interview him. In 2000, he was put to death. This made me realize the importance of taking a stand to oppose capital punishment.
It was then that I realized the government had the ability to murder innocents and there’s no way back. Right then, I realized I wanted to take action.
In 2000, the following year, a new president was chosen. The first mention of the death penalty was made. In 2003, together with others we founded the Taiwan Alliance to End the Death Penalty.
We focused on helping innocent inmates who were sitting on death rows. We grew from there into a group that actively called for an end to the death penalty for all in Taiwan.
In 2021, we started interviewing all the prisoners on death row to gain a better understanding of them, their childhood, and the trauma they’d suffered—previously, we’d just written letters to them. Many of the prisoners on death row did not have an adequate support system.
Others said that they regretted that they could not control their emotions in the moment, which resulted in a bad decision lasting two or three minutes.
Amnesty International Taiwan
We try to write to prisoners and visit them as often as possible. Being in prison is hard, especially after being there for many years. Two people are confined to a tiny cell—they’re allowed outside for 30 minutes a day, depending on the weather. Many of them don’t have visitors, as they have been there for so long—family members have passed away, and others have gotten divorced.
The winters are freezing and the summers can be very hot. The cells are not equipped with running water and the bathrooms have no doors, meaning that there is little privacy. They can discuss their experiences and do the things that they like. We encourage them. Many of them are brilliant artists, so we also try to enable them to draw when they can—we want to show them that change is possible.
My proudest moment so far is witnessing Su Chien-ho, Liu Ping-lang, and Chuang Lin-hsiung leave prison after they were exonerated—and I was even able to accompany them out of the High Court.
Three men sentenced to die for robbery rape and murder were convicted, but the evidence that was used against them raised questions about its inconsistency and completeness. They also cited reports about torture that occurred during police interrogations.
In 1999, I met the three of them in a Taipei prison. The trio had been detained for twelve years and it was emotional being with them as they were released.
During my tenure, I’ve also witnessed the release of several other prisoners from prisons, including Hsu-Tzu-chiang and Cheng Hsing Tse. After so many years of campaigning for their freedom, it’s amazing to finally see them free. But it is difficult to watch the person you’ve been fighting for be executed. It’s hard to accept that they have changed since they committed the crimes and regret what they did.
We’ll continue to work hard in the future on this case. Chiou Ho-shun, A Taiwanese prisoner on death row has been there since 1989. We hope that his case will be reviewed soon. A group of volunteers visit him every week and provide medical care.
Amnesty International and I have worked on this case together for many years. We’ve written him numerous letters that mean a lot to him. Amnesty International’s work, he says, is valuable and he has always expressed his appreciation.
This is a difficult job for my team and me, but it’s my goal to end the death penalty in Taiwan. I feel privileged to hold this position.
It is a blessing to have many colleagues who support me. Other organizations have shown me a lot warmth and I’m glad to be not alone. TAEDP also provides counseling for its staff—what we do isn’t easy, so we try and talk to each other and support one another as much as we can.
But the political climate of Taiwan makes it difficult to do so. We will not give up. The region is united in its desire to abolish the death sentence. If we succeed, we expect other countries like Japan to follow our lead.
When I see others taking action to help those in death row, I’m encouraged and would like more people do the same. You might think that it is not much but each postcard you send, every letter you write or social media post you make will help. The change might not come immediately but is still very important.
Hsinyi, 49 years old, was an editor for a long time before discovering her passion in activism. It began as a voluntary position with the Taiwan Alliance to End the Death Penalty. (TAEDP) but has since become a job. She now leads a group of seven people, advocates against the death penalty and supports those on death row.
Taiwan has sentenced to death three individuals in 2023. Amnesty International has published a report on death penalties around the globe. Death Sentences and Executions 2023.
All opinions are that of the author.