TAIWAN: DEATH PENALTY FOR SPIES

May 9, 2019:

Lawmakers in Taiwan voted on 7 May 2019 to amend existing laws to enforce heavier penalties against anyone – locals, Hong Kongers or mainland residents – who leak state secrets or spy for Beijing.
Previous anti-espionage legislation only targeted Taiwan residents, so the loophole had to be plugged to ensure that people from the mainland, Hong Kong or Macau can also be punished appropriately for spying, according to Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan.The new amendment will extend penalties to include the death sentence or life imprisonment for Chinese nationals as well as residents of Hong Kong and Macau who steal Taiwan’s state or military secrets. Also, amendments to the Criminal Code and the Classified National Security Information Protection Act will extend prison terms to anyone who leaks state secrets to China, Hong Kong, Macau or other hostile foreign forces from three to 10 years, instead of the current penalty of one to seven years. There will also be a two-year jail term for those conspiring to leak secrets.