I work with inmates on death row in Taiwan: sometimes it's too late

In 1999, I worked as a journalist for the Taiwan Judicial Reform Foundation. I remember meeting three young men in a detention center in Taipei who had been sentenced to death. It was the first time I met someone on death row, and I knew he was innocent.

Later, I met Lu Cheng, who had also been sentenced to death for murder. I had planned to interview him for a story, but never got the chance. He was executed in 2000. This brought home the importance of taking a stand against the death penalty.

I quickly realized that the government had the power to kill innocent people and had no way of bringing them back to life. I knew at that moment that I wanted to be someone who took action.

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

Our goal was to help innocent people on death row. From there, we became a movement that actively called for an end to the death penalty for all in Taiwan.

In 2021, we began interviewing all death row inmates to better understand them, their childhoods and the trauma they suffered. Previously, we just wrote them letters. It was evident that many of them did not have an adequate support system.

Some said they were sorry they couldn't control themselves in the moment, leading to a bad decision that lasted two to three minutes.

At TAEDP we try to visit prisoners as much as possible, we write them letters so they know they are not alone. It's hard to be in prison, especially for so many years. Two people are confined in a small cell: they are allowed to go out for 30 minutes a day, depending on the weather. Many of them have no visitors because they have been there so long: family members have died and others have divorced.

It is very hot in summer and freezing in winter. They have no running water inside their cell and there is no door leading to the toilet, meaning they have no privacy. We try to organize counseling so they can talk about what they've been through and we try to encourage them to do things they love. Many of them are brilliant artists, so we also try to allow them to draw when they can: we want to show them that change is possible.

My proudest moment so far is seeing Su Chien-ho, Liu Ping-lang and Chuang Lin-hsiung leave prison after being exonerated – and I was even able to accompany them out of the High Court.

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

Interestingly, this was the trio I met in 1999 in a detention center in Taipei. They had been detained for 12 years and being with them after their departure was very moving.

I also saw several other people released from detention centers during my stay, including Hsu Tzu-chiang, Cheng Hsing-tse, and Hsieh Chih-hung. It's incredible to see them regain their freedom after we campaigned for them for so long. However, it is difficult when the people you are fighting for are executed. I know they are not the same person they were when they committed the crime and I am sorry for what they did.

In the future, we are working hard on the case of Chiou Ho-shun, a Taiwanese man sentenced to death since 1989. A team of volunteers visits him regularly and provides medical assistance. However, we hope that his case can be resolved. will soon be reopened.

We have been working on this case for several years and, together with Amnesty International, we have written many letters of support which mean a lot to him. He considers Amnesty's work invaluable and always says how grateful he is for it.

As for me and my team, this field of work is difficult, but I have made it my mission to abolish the death penalty in Taiwan. I am therefore privileged to occupy this position.

I am fortunate to work with many partners who support me. I'm feeling a lot of warmth from other organizations and it's great to know you're not alone in this fight. TAEDP also offers advice to its staff. What we do is not easy, so we try to talk to each other and support each other as much as possible.

I am determined to pressure the government to end the death penalty in Taiwan once and for all, but the current political climate in Taiwan is difficult. However, we will continue the fight. There is great support in the region for ending the death penalty and we hope that if we can move forward, other countries like Japan will follow suit.

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

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

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

All views expressed are those of the author.

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