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Ahead of the meeting of the Central Election Commission on 28 August regarding a proposed referendum\u202fon introducing judicial caning as a criminal punishment in Taiwan, Amnesty International Taiwan\u2019s Director, E-Ling Chiu, said:\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThis proposal is part of a broader pattern that has emerged\u202fin 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.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Amnesty International\u2019s Deputy Regional Director Sarah Brooks added:\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen public anger over crimes is exploited for political gain at the expense of human rights, everyone stands to lose.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAmnesty International opposes any legislative proposal to introduce judicial\u202fcaning\u202fin 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.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
On 14 August 2026, Taiwan\u2019s 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.\u202f The proposal comes amid growing public anger over these offences fuelled by a series of highly publicized cases.\u00a0<\/p>\n