[JURIST] Taiwanese Justice Minister Wang Ching-feng resigned Thursday in defense of her position against the death penalty. Though Taiwan has not executed a criminal since 2005, Wang said she would not sign the execution warrants of any of the 44 prisoners still on death row. Her resignation was sparked by possible criticism of her position by the office of Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou, a member of her own Kuomintang party. Three-fourths of Taiwanese citizens favor the death penalty. Taiwanese Premier Wu Den-yih has already appointed a replacement.
In February, UN Under-Secretary-General Sergei Ordzhonikidze praised the increase in the number of countries that have suspended or abolished the death penalty. Speaking at the 4th World Congress Against the Death Penalty in Geneva, Ordzhonikidze expressed hope that countries that have not abolished the death penalty would adopt the 2007 UN Resolution 62/149, placing a moratorium on the use of capital punishment.