National Human Rights Commission criticizes caning proposal

Judicial caning, one of three referendum proposals approved by the Legislature, violates international human rights standards enshrined in Taiwan’s legal system, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) said yesterday.In a statement, the NHRC said that while it understood public concern over serious crimes and the need to strengthen crime prevention, criminal policy should be based on constitutional and human rights principles as well as scientific evidence.The commission said that caning constitutes corporal punishment involving elements of humiliation and degradation, making it incompatible with protections under the UN’s International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). The plaque of the National Human Rights Commission in Taipei is pictured in an undated photograph. Phot