Constitutional Court delays death penalty ruling

Taipei, July 12 (CNA) The Constitutional Court will not rule on a case regarding the constitutionality of the death penalty brought by 37 death-row convicts later in July as originally planned, the Judicial Yuan, which oversees the court, said Friday.

The court has decided to extend the case, according to a press release from the Judicial Yuan, which did not provide a reason, saying only that the date for the ruling would be announced later.

Friday's announcement means that the court will not render a ruling on the case before July 22, as required by law, but will instead do so before Sept. 22, a spokesperson for the Judicial Yuan later told CNA.

Article 26 of the Constitutional Court Procedure Act stipulates that the court should render a ruling within three months after the conclusion of oral arguments, but this deadline can be pushed back by two months if necessary.

The Constitutional Court heard oral arguments on the death penalty case on April 23, when attorneys representing the 37 prisoners currently on death row challenged the constitutionality of capital punishment codified in Taiwan's Criminal Code and other laws.

Whether Taiwan should abolish the death penalty has been a topic of intense debate in society, and some advocating the current practice, including the Kuomintang legislative caucus, argue that the issue should be left to the discretion of the elected Legislature instead of the Constitutional Court.