ELECTION 2024/Hou presses Lai to declare stance on death penalty

Tainan, Jan. 6 (CNA) Kuomintang (KMT) presidential candidate Hou Yu-ih (侯友宜) on Tuesday continued to challenge his Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) rival Lai Ching-te (賴清德) on the death penalty, urging him to clarify his position on the issue.

Hou said he has repeatedly asked Lai, the incumbent vice president, whether he supports the abolition of the death penalty, but has not received an answer.

Due to Lai's evasiveness on the issue, Hou said, he is calling on Lai to make clear where he stands. "Do you intend to amend the provision in the DPP's party constitution that advocates for the abolition of the death penalty? Are you willing to apologize to victims' families?" Hou asked.

Hou, a former national police chief, has attacking the DPP administration for not carrying out death penalty sentences, especially in the wake of a recent incident when a junior high school student was stabbed to death by another student at school.

The law should not prioritize the rights of offenders while disregarding the feelings of victims and their families, Hou said at a press conference.

Signing a pledge to retain the death penalty, Hou said only by holding offenders accountable can society deliver fairness and justice for the families of the victims.

Asked by reporters about Hou's comments, Lai said the death penalty remains a legal sanction in Taiwan and if elected he will govern the country in accordance with the Constitution and law.

According to the Ministry of Justice, the 37 prisoners currently on death row have filed cases with the Constitutional Court and the legal proceedings have not concluded.

The DPP constitution states that its goal is to abolish the death penalty, but abolitionists argue that the party did not actively pursue the policy when in power from 2000-2008 or under President Tsai Ing-wen's (蔡英文) administration since 2016, mainly due to strong support for the death penalty in society.

During Tsai's tenure, two death row inmates were executed in 2018 and 2020.