Taipei: President Lai Ching-te on Thursday approved a special pardon exempting a woman in her 80s convicted of killing her profoundly disabled son from serving time in prison.

According to Focus Taiwan, Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo announced that President Lai, after a thorough review of the case, granted the pardon to Lin Liu Lung-tzu, recognizing the long-standing challenges she faced while still acknowledging her conviction. The decision was based on the provisions of Article 3 of the Amnesty Act, which outlines two types of amnesty: exempting an offender from execution of a punishment and declaring the punishment invalid.

Kuo detailed Lin Liu’s circumstances, noting that she had dedicated over 50 years to caring for her son. In April 2023, Lin Liu’s health began to decline rapidly following a COVID-19 diagnosis, leading to a tragic incident in May when, overwhelmed and unable to continue caring for her son, she resorted to suffocating him, resulting in his death.

The Taipei District Court had sentenced Lin Liu to two years and six months in prison after the case was finalized on January 16 of this year. The case garnered significant public sympathy, prompting recommendations from the court and legislators for a presidential pardon. The Ministry of Justice agreed, stating that executing the sentence was unnecessary given the circumstances.

The pardon was granted under Article 40 of Taiwan’s Constitution, which empowers the president to exercise amnesty, pardons, and other legal reliefs. Kuo emphasized that Lin Liu’s pardon is one of nine special pardons issued by presidents in Taiwan, highlighting a similar instance in 2021 when former President Tsai Ing-wen pardoned Tama Talum, an Indigenous man, on hunting charges.