The Deng Nan-jung Memorial Hall yesterday marked the 20th anniversary of the death of democracy movement pioneer Deng Nan-jung with a renewed pledge to push for freedom and human rights.

On April 7, 1989, Deng, then editor-in-chief of Freedom Era Weekly, set himself on fire as heavily armed police attempted to break into his office following his 71 days of self-imposed isolation after he was charged with sedition for the anti-government views expressed in his magazine, which published a draft “Republic of Taiwan constitution” in 1988.

I have been detained for 118 days now. My personal freedom has been taken away by Ma Ying-jeou’s administration. The KMT government, attempting to cage my freedom of expression, has used detention as a mean to threaten and punish me. Yet I remain unafraid. I must stand tall and appeal to the world. I must protest and tell my story for the sake of freedom, democracy, human rights and justice in Taiwan. I believe that the verdict in my case was prepared long in advance and that my sentence has already been determined since such decisions are not really up to the prosecutors and judges who are merely following orders.

Ever since the second detention of the former President Chen Shui-bian, our entire society has been highly concerned about President Chen’s case.  The commentators and the media have all paid maximum amount of attention to the developments of this case.  Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation during this time period had also received many from all sectors of our society concerns and sympathies for President Chen; especially the e-mails from many users on the internet.  The internet is a young people’s platform.  Our Foundation, with our faith in the February 28^th Taiwan Divinities as well as world-wide accepted values of freedom, democracy, and human rights as our basis, has today specifically come to the Taipei Detention Center in Tucheng to show our concerns for President Chen’s current situation and to convey the many internet using young people’s warm sympathies for President Chen.