國際人權聯盟FIDH 於本週五發表一份公開聲明，要求新任法務部長曾勇夫先生不可輕率簽署死刑執行令，應依國際人權標準，保障死刑犯在刑事程序的基本權益。
目前在台灣有44位定讞的死刑犯，台灣廢除死刑推動聯盟稍早曾為其中14位終審沒有辯護律師的個案聲請大法官釋憲。今年3月，台灣廢除死刑推動聯盟準備再次為44位死囚個案提出大法官釋憲聲請。目前必要的法律救濟仍在進行中，法務部不可在此時任意執行死刑。另外，台灣政府去年正式批淮政治公民權利國際公約，其中第六條第四款明確保障任何被判處死刑的人應要求赦免或減刑之權利。
國際人權聯盟FIDH(International Federation for Human Rights)是1922年成立的第一個國際非政府人權組織，總部設在法國巴黎，由全球100多個國家155個人權組織所組成。FIDH成立的主要目的是為了維持正義、自由和公平這三個重要價值。因此人權維護、受害人扶助、司法監督、刑事正義、對於其他非政府組織之協助、喚醒各國人權意識等等，都是FIDH的優先工作目標。FIDH曾在許多國家，例如：美國、泰國、查德、日本、埃及、台灣等地方，進行國際死刑判決的事實調查任務(fact-finding mission)並出版個別國家報告(country report)，希望透由實地的調查瞭解，協助及促成全世界死刑的早日廢除。
參考網站：http://www.fidh.org
若需更多訊息，請連絡： 蔡季勳（台灣人權促進會祕書長 ） Tel: 0935157170
國際人權聯盟FIDH與台灣人權促進會
致台灣法務部長曾勇夫之公開信
巴黎-台北, 2010年3月26日
法務部長閣下:
我們以這封公開信，進一步關切您在3月22日引述自中央社有關死刑執行的公開發言。
我們支持您指示重新審慎檢示台灣44位死刑犯的卷宗資料，這可提供更多時間為接下來的步驟來做深切地思考。對於死刑的禁止，台灣政府去年起採取了一些重要措施，特別是2009年4月批准了二項最重要的國際人權公約(ICCPR, ICESCR)。前任部長王清峰女士於任內於法務部下所設立的逐步廢除死刑研究推動小組，邀請學界、非政府組織、律師與被害人等相關團體代表共同研擬廢除死刑的替代方案，也是非常重要的一步。這個工作小組稍早在本週召開第一次會議。我們認為這樣的工作小組不可中斷，且應有明確的工作計畫和廢除死刑時間表。在強烈反對廢死的民意下如何提昇民眾的人權意識和尋求死刑的替代方案，應此一工作小組的職責。同時讓司法人員了解廢死問題亦是一項重要的課題。
我們了解死刑問題已在當前台灣社會公眾意見裏激起的熱烈討論，也深知廢除死刑是需漸進逐步的過程。對於您公開表示"廢除死刑的選擇仍然存在"，我們感到欣慰。
我們在此再提醒您審慎處理台灣廢除死刑推動聯盟提送給大法官會議的14件死囚釋憲聲請個案，這些個案在第三審最高法院上訴時居然都沒有辯護人代表。今年3月11日，台灣廢死聯盟再次為44位死囚聲請大法官解釋，要求在聲請大法官釋憲期間，法務部應暫停任何死刑執行。因此，我們籲請你可以公開保證在此法律程序進行當中，不會簽署任何死刑執行令，否則將違反國際上對處理死刑的人權程序--在窮盡一切法律救濟管道之前，國家不可任意執行死刑。
最後，我們相信貴國政府必須採取一些必要且急迫的法案修正行動，強化台灣在司法程序上對於死囚相關訟訴權利的保障。包括死刑的判決必須是合議庭法官全體一致的決議，最高法院應該公開審理死刑案件，並讓檢辯雙方進行言詞辯論。對於死刑案件的被告，應該要有強制辯護之訴訟保障。
我們誠摯地希望您可以採納我們的建議，也能夠在廢除死刑議題上持續和我們對話討論。
[英文/English Version]
International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) Taiwan Association for Human Rights (TAHR)
Open letter
Taiwan/Death penalty
Open letter to the Minister of Justice of Taiwan Mr. Tseng Yung-fu
Paris - Taipei, 26 March 2010
Re: The death penalty in Taiwan
Your Excellency,
We are writing to you further to your statement of March 22, quoted in the Central News Agency, regarding the application of the death penalty in Taiwan.
We welcome the fact that you ordered a review of the cases of the 44 prisoners on death row in Taiwan, which in practice provides more time for in-depth thought about further steps. We also appreciate last year's extremely important measures taken by the government of Taiwan towards the restriction of the use of the capital punishment and further progress in the field of human rights. This includes the ratification of the two UN Covenants, respectively on civil and political rights and on economic, social and cultural rights, in April 2009. The establishment by your predecessor of a Task Force on research and promotion of gradual abolishment in the Ministry of Justice, bringing together academics, NGOs, lawyers and other stakeholders to propose alternative measures to replace the death penalty is equally important. This Task Force reportedly held its first meeting earlier this week, and we strongly believe that this initiative should be continued, with a precise work-plan and time-frame. Raising awareness among the people of Taiwan on the strong arguments against the death penalty and the available alternative measures, should be an integral part of the Task Force's mandate. Awareness raising among magistrates and the judiciary is also crucial.
We are quite aware that the issue of the death penalty triggers heated debate in the Taiwanese public opinion, and understand that abolishment of such practice will be a gradual process. We also welcome the fact that you were quoted as saying that “The option of abolishing is still open”.
In this context, we would like to draw your attention on the petition filed by the Taiwan Alliance to End the Death Penalty (TAEDP) to the Grand Justices for constitutional review on behalf of 14 death row prisoners regarding the lack of legal representation in the third trial (the Supreme Court). TAEDP filed a second petition to the Grand Justices on March 11, 2010, requesting a stay on execution of all 44 death row prisoners while the above-mentioned constitutional review is still pending. In that regard, we urge you to guarantee that no execution will take place before the Grand Justices will rule on this petition, since this would constitute a clear breach of international human rights standards relating to the death penalty, which impose that all remedies must have been exhausted before any execution take place.
Last but not least, we believe that certain legislative amendments should be proposed by your government as a matter of urgency, in order to strengthen the procedural safeguards relating to the application of the death penalty in Taiwan : capital punishment should be decided unanimously by the court ; the public hearing and verbal debates of the two parties should be held at the level of the Supreme Court; and the legal representation of people convicted to the death sentence should be compulsory at every trial.
We sincerely hope that you will take our suggestions into due account, and remain fully available for any further discussion on this key issue.
Yours sincerely,
Souhayr Belhassen President, International Federation for Human Rights
Lin Chia-Fan Chairperson, Taiwan Association for Human Rights
-- Emmanouil Athanasiou Responsable du Bureau Asie - Head of Asia Desk
(FIDH) - International Federation for Human Rights Fédération Internationale des Ligues des Droits de l'Homme 17, Passage de la Main d'Or
75011 Paris, France
Tél.: 0033 1 43 55 25 18 Fax.: 0033 1 43 55 18 80