Ahead of the meeting of the Central Election Commission on 28 August regarding a proposed referendum on introducing judicial caning as a criminal punishment in Taiwan, Amnesty International Taiwan’s Director, E-Ling Chiu, said:
“It is both disturbing and disgraceful that the Legislative Yuan has chosen to advance a referendum proposal on judicial caning that clearly breaches international human rights law.
“This proposal is part of a broader pattern that has emerged in recent months. Human rights-related budgets have been cut, the work of independent institutions such as the National Human Rights Commission has been obstructed and the functioning of the Constitutional Court has been undermined. The advancement of a referendum seeking to legitimize cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment further contributes to the erosion of the human rights protection framework that Taiwan has spent decades building.”
Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director Sarah Brooks added:
“When public anger over crimes is exploited for political gain at the expense of human rights, everyone stands to lose.
“Amnesty International opposes any legislative proposal to introduce judicial caning in Taiwan and calls on the government to reaffirm its commitment to Article 7 of the ICCPR and the absolute prohibition of torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment.”
Background
On 14 August 2026, Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan approved a referendum proposal asking voters whether the government should enact legislation introducing judicial caning as a special criminal punishment for offences including sexual assault, child abuse, high-value fraud and aggravated fraud. The proposal comes amid growing public anger over these offences fuelled by a series of highly publicized cases.
Shortly after the proposal was approved, Amnesty International Taiwan joined civil society organizations in issuing a
joint statement
expressing concern that judicial canin
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