Taiwan Executes Death Row Inmate Huang Linkai

Taiwan executed death row inmate Huang Linkai on January 16, marking the first execution in five years, which has triggered strong condemnation from human rights groups and the European Union. Huang was convicted of murdering his ex-girlfriend and her mother in 2013, and his execution has been described as a significant setback for human rights in Taiwan by Amnesty International. The EU has expressed its opposition to capital punishment, calling for Taiwan to maintain a moratorium and pursue abolition, while acknowledging the severity of Huang's crimes. Despite Taiwan's reputation as a progressive democracy, public support for the death penalty remains high. The execution follows a constitutional court ruling that deemed the death penalty constitutional for the most serious crimes but mandated stricter legal scrutiny. Taiwan's main opposition party, the Kuomintang, supports capital punishment and criticized the constitutional court's earlier ruling as an effective abolition of the death penalty.