The great majority of prisoners sentenced to death in Taiwan are willing to donate their organs, according to former Premier Chang Chun-hsiung who has recently talked to the 40 death-row inmates. Chang, who now spends substantial time as a volunteer to help convicts, said most of those receiving death sentences have expressed repentance and the willingness to sign a document to voluntarily donate their organs, although there are also a very small number showing no remorse.
A new wave of executions is widely anticipated, Chang said.
The Council of Grand Justices at the Judicial Yuan has ruled that the death penalty does not violate the Constitution or international civil rights conventions.
Justice Minister Tseng Yung-fu said his ministry will take proper actions in accordance with the nation's law, although he stressed that no timetable has been set for the upcoming executions.
Officials at major prisons said they expect a surge in visits by family members with the death-row inmates in coming weeks.
There is currently a long waiting list of seriously ill patients in urgent need of organs in Taiwan.
Source: Associated Press, May 31, 2010
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