Human rights and legal advocacy groups urged the abolition of the death penalty

Human rights and legal advocacy groups urged the abolition of the death penalty and judicial reform to incorporate more humane perspectives into the judicial system. 
In a panel discussion held by the Taiwan Alliance to End the Death Penalty, human rights lawyers and Su Chien-ho, a member of the Hsichih Trio, testified that the flawed legal system could lead to wrongful convictions and executions.
"The bureaucratic culture among judges leaves no room for [professional] self-reflection about the possibility of wrongful convictions. Some judges tend to overlook the importance of human rights. In their eyes, all they see are cases to be processed, not human beings put on the stands," said Joseph Lin, chairman of Legal Aid Foundation's Taipei branch.
Lin, a human rights lawyer who had provided legal assistance to numerous death-row inmates, said that due to a lack of legal regulations governing criminal evidence, criminal courts may declare defendants guilty without an investigation or evidence of a weapon. Another flaw exists in the police interrogation system, said Lin, in which police statements can be easily manipulated by the interrogation task force.
"The sad truth is that many judges and prosecutors have no idea how some statements are produced and how some suspects are mistreated until they review interrogation recordings. They simply can't believe their eyes," Lin said.
Su, who was imprisoned for over a decade, stated that many judges were not meticulous in making their decisions and held preconceived judgments about a defendant's guilt, without even carrying out proper investigations.