Courtroom of the Constitutional Court of Taiwan

TAIWAN: CONSTITUTIONAL COURT REJECTS EXECUTED MURDERER'S APPEAL

April 7, 2025:

The Constitutional Court on April 7, 2025 dismissed an appeal filed by double murderer Huang Lin-kai before his execution, stating it had no jurisdiction over the case.
Huang’s legal team had petitioned the court to halt his execution, citing a September ruling that the death penalty should only apply in the most severe cases and under strict legal standards, per CNA. However, the court unanimously rejected the request, noting that the appeal did not fall within its authority.
The Constitutional Court cited a law that allows it to make temporary injunctions in certain cases. However, the ruling stated that Huang’s appeal was not related to the Constitutional Court, and the court’s justices rejected it unanimously.
Huang was executed by firing squad at the Taipei Detention Center on January 17.
He was convicted of murdering his ex-girlfriend’s mother and sexually assaulting and murdering his ex-girlfriend in 2017.
The Constitutional Court also rejected death row inmates Li Te-jung, Peng Chien-yuan, and Shen Wen-pin’s appeals in March. The court found the trio did not show the interpretation of the law in their original case had deprived them of their basic constitutional rights.
The Constitutional Court affirmed the constitutionality of the death penalty in September and placed restrictions on its use. A poll taken close to the ruling found that more than 80% of the public supported retaining the death penalty.