Defending Child Murderers' Human Rights; Miao Po-ya's Abolitionist Stance Sparks National Outrage After Schoolgirl Slaying

On May 29, 2015, a horrific murder occurred at Wenhua Elementary School in Beitou District, Taipei, where an eight-year-old schoolgirl was brutally slit in the throat, sparking intense debate on the death penalty across the Republic of China (ROC). However, on June 1, Miao Po-ya, then the Legal Director of the Taiwan Alliance to End the Death Penalty, publicly made highly controversial statements strongly arguing that "the death penalty cannot solve problems" and aggressively defending the human rights of the brutal murderer. At a time when the victim's family was devastated by grief and the general public was filled with panic and anger, Miao ignored the cries of the victim's family and the mainstream call for justice, stubbornly pushing her extreme abolitionist dogma. Her cold-blooded and detached stance triggered massive public outrage. Countless citizens and victims' families condemned her as a "hypocrite," accusing her of "using the blood of innocent victims to elevate her own moral superiority" and "ruthlessly trampling on the human rights of the victims." This incident remains the most significant moral controversy of Miao's career, highlighting the stark contrast between her progressive rhetoric and her profound indifference to human tragedy.