Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

Public fed up with ‘dinosaur judges’

Taipei Times Editorial

Taiwan is no stranger to violent criminals being let off with lenient sentences, with another ridiculous ruling taking place last week.

Hsu Wen-ping (許文炳), who was convicted of brutally murdering a friend and mutilating his body, had a life sentence reduced to 18 years, because he is an alcoholic who was intoxicated when the incident occurred.

The judges said Hsu qualified for a reduced term under Article 19 of the Criminal Code, which governs crimes committed by people with mental disorders and stipulates that “punishment may be reduced ... as a result of an obvious reduction in judgement.”

Lawmakers pass transitional justice act

Taipei Times

Formosan Political Prisoners Association honorary director-general Tsai Kuan-yu yesterday watches lawmakers review a draft law on transitional justice on a monitor in the legislative speaker’s reception room.
Photo: Huang Yao-cheng, Taipei Times

The Act on Promoting Transitional Justice (促進轉型正義條例), which aims to remove authoritarian-era symbols and retry cases of injustice from that era, was passed by the Legislative Yuan yesterday evening.

The time of pleasing China is over

Liberty Times Editorial

On Tuesday LAST week the Yueyang City Intermediate People’s Court in China’s Hunan Province sentenced Taiwanese human rights activist Lee Ming-che (李明哲) to five years in prison for “inciting subversion of state power.”

Lee told Chinese media that he confessed to and regretted the offense, would not appeal the verdict and accepted the prison sentence.

‘Treason’ proposal passes committee

Taipei Times

Draft amendments to allow people accused of spying for China to be indicted on foreign aggression charges and to allow political parties to be indicted on organized crime charges was approved yesterday by the legislature’s Judiciary and Organic Laws and Statutes Committee.

Prosecutors have traditionally cited the National Security Act (國家安全法) when indicting alleged Chinese spies because the treason and foreign aggression offenses stipulated in the Criminal Code only apply to crimes committed on behalf of an “enemy state.”

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