I work with inmates on death row in Taiwan—sometimes it's too late (2024)

In 1999, I was working as a journalist for the Judicial Reform Foundation in Taiwan. I remember meeting three young men in a detention center in Taipei, who had been sentenced to death. It was the first time I'd ever met anyone on death row, and I just knew they were innocent.

I later met Lu Cheng, who had also been sentenced to death for murder. I was planning on interviewing him for a story, but I never got the chance. He was executed in 2000. It made realize how important it was to take a stand against the death penalty.

I quickly realized that the government has the power to kill innocent people and there is no way of bringing them back. I knew right then I wanted to be someone who took action.

The following year, in 2000, a president from a different political party was elected. It was the first time there was talk of abolishing the death penalty. Together with several others, we formed the Taiwan Alliance to End the Death Penalty (TAEDP) in 2003.

Our focus was to help innocent death row inmates. From there, we grew into a movement that was actively calling for the end of the death penalty in Taiwan for everyone.

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. It was clear that many of them didn't have a proper support system.

Some said they were sorry that in the moment they were unable to control themselves which led to a wrong decision that lasted two to three minutes.

At TAEDP, we try to visit the prisoners as much as we can, we write letters to them, so they know they are not alone. It's tough being in prison, especially for so 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.

It's very hot in summer, and freezing in winter. They don't have running water inside the cell and there is no door to the bathroom, which means that they have no privacy. We try to arrange counselling for them so they can talk about what they've been through and we try to encourage them to do things they enjoy. 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.

These three men were sentenced to death for charges of robbery, rape, and murder, but concerns were raised about the contradictory and incomplete evidence used in their convictions. Their cause also included reports of torture during police interrogations.

Interestingly, they were the trio that I'd met back in 1999 in a detention center in Taipei. They had been held for 12 years, and to be with them when they left was very emotional.

I have also seen several others released from detention centers during my time including, Hsu Tzu-chiang, Cheng Hsing-tse, and Hsieh Chih-hung. It's incredible to see them find freedom after we've campaigned for them for so long. However, it's difficult when the people you have been fighting for are executed. I know they're no longer the same person as when they committed the crime and are sorry for what they've done.

Going forward, we're working hard on the case of Chiou Ho-shun, a Taiwanese man who has been on death row since 1989. A team of volunteers visits him regularly and provides medical assistance, however, we're hoping his case might be reopened soon.

We have been working on this case for several years, and together with Amnesty International we have written numerous letters of support which mean so much to him. He believes Amnesty's work is invaluable and always says how thankful he is.

As for me and my team, this line of work is hard, but I've made it my mission to abolish the death penalty in Taiwan, so I am privileged to be in this position.

I am lucky to be working with many partners, who provide support. I feel a lot of warmth from other organizations and it's great to know you're not alone in this fight. 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.

I am determined to lobby the government so that they end the death penalty in Taiwan once and for all, but the current political climate in Taiwan is tough. However, we will continue the fight. There's a lot of support across the region to end the death penalty and we hope that if we can move forward, other countries such as Japan will follow suit.

I am heartened when I see people taking action for those on death row and I would encourage more people to do so. It might not seem like much, but every postcard or letter you write, or every post you share to social media will make a change. It might not be immediate, but it's very important.

Hsinyi Lin, 49, started as an editor before she found her passion for activism. What started as a volunteer position at the Taiwan Alliance to End the Death Penalty (TAEDP), has now become a full-time job. Nowadays, she leads a team of seven, supports those currently on death row, and advocates for an end to the death penalty in Taiwan.

Taiwan sentenced three people to death in 2023. For further figures on the state of the death penalty around the world, please read Amnesty International's latest report, Death Sentences and Executions 2023.

All views expressed are the author's own.

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