I condemn the execution of five people in Taiwan in the strongest possible terms. The death penalty is an inhumane punishment which does not make any sense in terms of legal policy. The German Government is against capital punishment under any circumstances and, together with its EU partners, has campaigned actively for its abolition in Taiwan for some years.

It is incomprehensible that a mature democracy like Taiwan with generally high human rights standards should resort to such inhumane methods. This is a serious setback for human rights in Taiwan. I call on those responsible to refrain from carrying out any more death sentences and to return to the moratorium which was in place until 2010.