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December 31, 2007

Taiwan

In April 2014, the Representation Project served as faculty at a capital defense training for lawyers in Taiwan.  Six presentations in five different cities in Taiwan were made to bar associations and legal aid offices about the importance of zealous defense representation in death penalty cases.  Concepts from the ABA Guidelines for the Appointment and Performance of Defense Counsel in Death Penalty Cases and Representing Individuals Facing the Death penalty: A Best Practice Manual were introduced, including: the “defense team” approach; the importance of developing a relationship of trust with the client; the need to conduct a thorough and independent investigation of the case and the client’s background; and how to “tell the client’s story” to introduce mitigation evidence in support of a life sentence.  Recruitment of qualified counsel to represent capital defendants and death row prisoners was another goal of the training.  Follow up activities will include assisting the Taipei Bar Association with development of Taiwan-specific representation standards for the defense effort and providing training for judges who preside over capital cases.

View more photos of the Representation Project's work in Taiwan on our Flickr page!