Amnesty International denounced Taiwan’s execution of Huang Linkai on Thursday, calling the event a “shameful setback” as it marked the first execution in Taiwan since 2020.

Director of Amnesty International Taiwan E-Ling Chiu stated: “The execution of Huang Linkai (黃麟凱) was carried out in violation of constitutional and international safeguards on the use of the death penalty, and while an appeal filed by his lawyer to stop the execution was still pending before the courts. This renders his execution unlawful and arbitrary, in violation of the right to life.”

The rights group raised concerns over whether Huang received all of his procedural protections. The group cited a judgment by the Constitutional Court of Taiwan from September 20, 2024, which held that the death penalty can only be imposed following unanimous judgments and that such information must be disclosed by the prosecution to the defendants. The court made the ruling based on unwritten principles of the Constitution of the Republic of China on the basis that it is a precursor to enumerated constitutional rights.

Amnesty International said that Huang’s counsel was not informed of whether there had been unanimous judgments in his case. They also argued that a pre-sentencing social investigation into extraordinary circumstances was not conducted, potentially violating the “stringent process” required by the Constitutional Court’s ruling. 

The rights group also highlighted that UN Safeguard No.8 (1984) prohibits capital punishment from being carried out “pending any appeal or other recourse procedure.” Amnesty International noted that Huang’s lawyer had filed an appeal of the death penalty sentence on Thursday evening, but Taiwanese authorities still carried out the execution.

Huang Linkai, a former conscript in the Republic of China Armed Forces, was sentenced to death for the rape and murder of his ex-girlfriend and the murder of her mother after breaking into their home on October 1, 2013. His execution warrant was signed by Justice Minister Zheng Mingqian, and Huang was shot at the Taipei Detention Center. 

Other rights groups, including the Judicial Reform Foundation, also contested the execution, stating that the government was attempting to use the death penalty “to divert political attention.” However, recent polling in Taiwan shows that there remains overwhelming support for the death sentence, with over 80 percent of respondents stating that they are in favor of continuing the practice.