The number of executions carried out in Taiwan had...

The number of executions carried out in Taiwan had decreased in recent years, according to statistics released by the Ministry of Justice (MOJ).
The statistics showed that the number of death row inmates executed was 32 in 1998, with the number dropping to nine in 2002 and to five over the first 10 months of 2003.
MOJ officials said that the average duration of time in a capital punishment case between a suspect being turned over by police to the district prosecutors' office to sentencing and execution was about five and a half years, or almost four to five times longer than that of a regular criminal case.
A total of 97 executions had been carried out in Taiwan since 1997, with 35 criminals being executed for violating racketeering regulations, 34 for murder, 13 for kidnapping and extortion, seven for violating regulations concerning the manufacturing, transporting and selling of narcotics, six for rape and murder, and two for burglary and murder.
All of those executed were males, with 64 per cent of them having prior criminal records.