Taiwan election commission rejects caning referendum proposal
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E-mailTAIPEI, Aug 28 (Reuters) - Taiwan's election commission on Friday rejected a proposal passed by parliament for a referendum to legalise caning for serious crimes like sexual assault and fraud, saying it would go against the island's international human rights commitments.
Taiwan's opposition-controlled parliament voted earlier this month to hold the caning referendum, which was opposed by the ruling party.
Speaking to reporters, Central Election Commission Chairman Michael You said Taiwan has already enacted into law international commitments on human rights.
"Caning is a form of corporal punishment in which public authority directly inflicts physical pain on the person being punished. Most countries consider it a cruel, inhuman punishment that violates human dignity," he added.
Hung Meng-kai, the lawmaker who proposed the referendum and is from the largest opposition party the Kuomintang, expressed regret, saying people should have been given a choice at the ballot box.
"Is this truly protecting victims, or is it building a protective wall for criminals?" he wrote on his Facebook page.
Taiwan's National Human Rights Commission as well as groups like Amnesty International had criticised the caning proposal.
Taiwan was under martial law until 1987. It is now a full democracy with wide-ranging legal protections for human rights. It does still have the death penalty, but it is rarely used.
Referendums are held every few years in Taiwan, generally after the gathering of signatures from citizens for specific proposals.
Last August, an opposition-backed, stand-alone referendum to re-open Taiwan's last nuclear plant failed because it did not reach the legal threshold of voters taking part for it to be valid.
If referendums pass, in theory the Cabinet has three months to send relevant legislation to parliament for approval.
(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Sharon Singleton)
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