Taiwan executes 4 after 4-year suspension of death penalty

Taiwan's judiciary authorities have confirmed that four convicts were executed Friday evening after a four-year suspension of the practice of execution.

Two of the executed, Chang Wen-wai and Chang Chun-wang, had respectively killed their adopted son and adopted daughter who were held by them as hostages. The other two were Or Sai-ming, who killed two people and dumped the bodies into a pond, and Hung Chan-yiu who shot three to dead amid debt disputes.

The four were all executed by shooting.

Taiwan had not executed any convict since it executed a murderer in December 2005.

Wang Ching-feng, the island's former head of judiciary authorities, stepped down in March due to her highly controversial campaign to abolish death penalty, which she had long been engaged in. She also had refused to approve 44 death penalty cases.

Her successor Tseng Yung-fu had said he would deal with death penalty cases and perform official duties according to law.

A poll by Taipei-based United Daily News on March showed that 74 percent of people surveyed opposed abolishing death penalty and 12 percent upheld the abolishment.

Source: Xinhua