January 13-19, 2025

NORTHEAST ASIA

Halting executions in Asia’s strongest democracy

Nearly five years since Taiwan’s last execution in 2020, many were shocked when the government suddenly executed a man on death row despite his pending appeal, drawing sharp condemnation from several rights groups.

In separate statements, Amnesty International, International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), and The Death Penalty Project (DPP) condemned the Jan. 16 summary execution of Huang Lin-kai as arbitrary, unlawful, and inhuman. It called on Taiwan to halt plans for future executions and impose a moratorium on the death penalty in accordance with international law. 

“The death penalty is a cruel and irreversible punishment and the Taiwanese authorities have implemented it in a way that shows an utter disregard for the rights of those affected,” said E-Ling Chiu, director of Amnesty International Taiwan. 

FAST FACTS

• Huang, 32, was convicted in 2017 for the double murder of his former girlfriend and her mother. He was an active-duty soldier at the time and said he had killed them due to anger over money he owed his girlfriend. 
• The rights groups say the Ministry of Justice signed his execution warrant on Jan. 16, the same day it was to be implemented, giving his lawyers merely four hours to appeal the impending execution and challenge the “arbitrary and unlawful” nature of the execution warrant. He was also denied a family visit before the execution. 
• His execution marks the first killing under Taiwan President Lai Ching-te. The last was under former President Tsai Ing-wen on April 1, 2020. According to Amnesty International, 37 out of 45 death-row inmates in Taiwan have had their death sentences finalized and are now at risk of execution. 
• In September 2024 the Constitutional Court ruled that capital punishment violated due process and restricted its application to “most serious” cases such as murder, and with safeguards, including a requirement for the unanimity of judges during trial and appeal.
• Taiwan remains among the 55 countries and territories that still implement the death penalty despite a global abolitionist trend. 

ACTIONS SOUGHT

• Amnesty International, DPP, and FIDH called on Taiwan to immediately declare a moratorium on executions and to move toward abolition.
• FIDH also called for a commutation of all death sentences and the incorporation of the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in Taiwan’s national legal framework.

SOUTHEAST ASIA

Lifting censorship on civil society groups

A controversial law in Singapore is now being used to keep a tight rein on an anti-death penalty activist group by labeling it as a source of “multiple falsehoods” under the same law.

From August to December, Transformative Justice Collective (TJC) was slapped with five Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) orders, and therefore was designated as a “Declared Online Location” – defined under the law as sites that carried “multiple falsehoods” – for its public information campaign on how Singapore treats death row inmates.

This has raised concern among at least 11 organizations, which on Jan. 16 urged Singapore to withdraw the POFMA orders and to stop harassing human rights defenders like TJC.

“These orders are an undue restriction on the right to freedom of expression, create a climate of fear and have the effect of stifling debates on the human rights concerns surrounding the use of the death penalty in Singapore,” they wrote in an open letter. 

FAST FACTS

• On Dec. 20, 2024, Singapore’s ministry of digital development and information issued a POFMA order requiring TJC to carry a notice on all its platforms about its DOL designation – that is, it “had communicated multiple falsehoods and that viewers should exercise caution when accessing it for information.” 
• The order is in relation to TJC’s posts about Singapore’s continued implementation of the death penalty despite a global trend toward its abolition. 
• The same order, which would be in place until Dec. 20, 2026, also bans TJC from monetizing its platforms and receiving financial support.
• POFMA orders were also issued against the Anti-Death Penalty Asian Network, of which TJC is a member, as well as online news site The Online Citizen, for criticizing the POFMA orders against TJC. 
• The city-state executed nine people in 2024, with at least 50 more on death row, most of them over drug-related offenses. 
• Since it was passed in 2019, POFMA has been flagged by rights groups for its overly broad and vague provisions that could be weaponized to stifle dissent and restrict freedom of expression. 

ACTIONS SOUGHT

The organizations called on the Singaporean government to: 

• Stop using POFMA orders to stifle government criticism;
• Revoke the orders already issued against human rights defenders and online platforms; and
• Abolish POFMA and other laws that restrict freedom of expression

SOUTH ASIA

Ending the vicious cycle of problematic laws

Last year, Bangladesh’s interim minister Muhammad Yunus repealed ousted leader Sheikh Hasina’s controversial cybersecurity act, once used to silence dissent. Ironically, this paved the way for a draft cyber protection ordinance that retains many of the same flaws, say rights groups who urged reforms to align it with international standards.

In a joint open letter, Frontline Defenders and CIVICUS challenged the Yunus government to reopen public consultations on the draft measure, and to remove the problematic provisions and align it with international human rights standards.

“The lack of meaningful dialogue and transparency in engaging with civil society and human rights defenders in shaping legislation on digital rights reflects poorly on the government’s commitment to human rights and reforms,” they reminded Yunus in an open letter submitted Jan. 15. 

FAST FACTS

• Before it was repealed, the 2023 CSA itself was the successor of the more draconian 2018 Digital Security Act, which critics say was used by the Hasina regime to crack down on political opponents, journalists, and activists. It was only repealed under pressure from the United States, European Union, and the United Nations. 
• By August 2024 – Hasina’s last month in office – there were over 5,800 cases filed under CSA and its predecessor that were still pending in the country’s eight cyber tribunals. 
• Among Yunus’ first acts in office as interim minister was to repeal the CSA as part of his pledge to institute human rights reforms. His government then approved the Cyberprotection Ordinance on Dec. 24, 2024. 
• The new ordinance still faces criticism for retaining several concerning provisions from the CSA. This includes the criminalization of the “transmitt(al) of information with intent to insult, harass, or defame,” which critics argue is overly broad and could be used to stifle legitimate criticism. At the same time, the CPO would create a government-led National Cybersecurity Council, which rights groups warned could lead to excessive state control over digital spaces. 
• This as Yunus faces mounting pressure to deliver his promised reforms before handing over the government through elections this year. Before this, the Nobel laureate was already facing criticism for supposedly perpetuating the same abuses that marked the Hasina regime. 

ACTIONS SOUGHT

Frontline Defenders and CIVICUS called on the Yunus government to: 

• Reopen public consultation for the draft measure and ensure a more transparent and inclusive process; and
• Remove the problematic provisions in the CPO and ensure that there are enough safeguards in the law against potential abuse. 

GLOBAL / REGIONAL

Challenging the global status quo

Every year, the world’s wealthiest and most powerful people meet in Davos, Switzerland, for the annual World Economic Forum, where they brainstorm novel solutions to the world’s biggest challenges. 

This year, amid growing economic uncertainty, worsening climate crisis, and widening inequality, Amnesty International challenged global leaders taking part in the WEF to take “bold, decisive, and human rights-based action” as the “only way to secure a future in which both human dignity and our planet thrive.” 

“If we are to achieve a better future, we must reconsider paradigms of growth and prosperity and expand our thinking beyond narrow metrics such as GDP. To effectively address structural and systemic inequalities, we must find new and innovative ways to measure and deliver shared and sustainable advances,” said Amnesty International secretary general Agnes Callamard. 

FAST FACTS

• This year’s WEF is expected to convene close to 3,000 leaders from over 130 countries, with the theme of “demonstrating the critical need for dialogue in an increasingly uncertain era.” It would be the first since U.S. President Donald Trump retakes the White House on Jan. 20, during which he has already signed multiple orders rolling back decades of progress, especially on climate change. 
• The climate crisis, as well as escalating armed conflict in Russia-Ukraine and the Gaza Strip, are among the key concerns to be tackled in the annual gathering. 
• Several world leaders, however, would be absent from the annual meeting. These  include Chinese President Xi Jinping, French President Emmanuel Macron, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. 
• In her statement, Callamard expressed concern about the potential for unchecked technological growth, warning against letting tech companies operate without safeguards. This was an especially timely reminder after Meta abolished its independent third-party fact-checking program in the United States in what critics said was an attempt to appease Trump and his right-wing supporters who see fact-checking as a form of censorship.  

ACTIONS SOUGHT

Callamard challenged the world leaders attending the WEF to:

• Commit to scale up climate finance and fund a full and just transition away from fossil fuels; and

• Stop propping up a status quo capitalist system that delivers wealth only to a few.