Taiwan's parliament decided to abolish the Retribution...

Taiwan's parliament decided to abolish the Retribution Act for Bandits to better protect the human rights of Taiwanese people, including the scrapping of compulsory death sentencing for various violent crimes.
Currently, under the Act, the death penalty is considered compulsory for kidnapping, gang robbery and several other violent crimes. Judges may not consider other factors in the case, such as the suspects' motives and whether they have shown regret over what they have done.
Some abductors have killed kidnapped people as they knew that they would be given death penalty even if they decided not to kill the victims.
The abolishment of the Act also offers hope to those who have been officially accused under the Act but are yet to be executed. Some 300 people, including many kidnappers, have been executed under the controversial Act since it went into effect in Taiwan in 1949.
Parliament also amended the Criminal Code, permitting the courts to hand down either the death penalty, life imprisonment or a 12-year prison term for kidnappers who kill their abducted victims, allowing judges to consider other factors in such cases, including the suspects' motives and their attitudes after arrest. Another amendment allows judges to hand down less harsh punishment for abductors who release their victims before being arrested.
The amendments are aimed to lead the kidnappers to release the victims in exchange for shorter jail terms.