Constitutional Court to issue death penalty ruling on Friday

Taipei, Sept. 16 (CNA) The Constitutional Court will issue a ruling on Friday to determine whether Taiwan will abolish the death penalty, further restrict its implementation or maintain the current practice.

In a statement, the Constitutional Court said it would announce the ruling at 3 p.m. Friday at the Judicial Office Building.

Whether Taiwan should abolish the death penalty has been a topic of intense debate in recent years, and if the court decides to do so by ruling it unconstitutional, such a decision is almost certain to send shockwaves throughout society.

The case was brought by 37 prisoners currently on death row challenging the constitutionality of the death penalty in Taiwan, with the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) defending the statutory punishment as constitutional.

With the recusal of three justices, the case is being reviewed by the remaining 12 justices, who will reach a ruling based on a majority vote.

While advocacy by civil society groups to end capital punishment in Taiwan has gathered momentum over the past two decades, polls conducted by the MOJ and other organizations consistently show strong public support for its retention.

The court was supposed to render its ruling by the end of July, about three months after oral arguments ended, but it has since pushed back the deadline by two months, without explaining the reason for the delay.

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