Reflect on human rights
Dec. 10, Human Rights Day, is an important opportunity to reflect on human rights in Taiwan. While Taiwan has made many advances in human rights since the days of martial law, numerous problems persist.
Many of Taiwan’s human rights problems are rooted in a transition to democracy without transitional justice. The legacy of the authoritarian party-state that governed Taiwan during martial law still influences the politics of the present.
The case of Chiou Ho-shun (邱和順) has spanned almost the entire post-Martial Law era. In many ways Chiou’s case is symbolic of Taiwan’s human rights problems.
Chiou was first sentenced to death in 1989. The case against him was based on confessions made under torture, which were later retracted. In 1994, two prosecutors and 10 police officers were convicted for using torture to obtain confessions in one of the cases. However, Chiou remains on death row and Amnesty International is campaigning for a retrial of his case.
The case of the Hsichih Trio shares much in common with that of Chiou. The three men were also convicted on the basis of confessions extracted by police using torture. They spent 21 years in a legal battle during which they faced the death penalty and spent 12 years in prison. The trio were finally acquitted this year (“‘Hsichih Trio’ are finally freed,” Sept. 1, page 1 ).
More recently, there have been concerns about the judicial process being used as a political tool. Since 2008, a number of politicians from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) have faced trial on corruption-related charges. In cases such as those of Yunlin County Commissioner Su Chih-fen (蘇治芬) and former National Security Council head Chiou I-jen (邱義仁), the defendants were found not guilty. This lends weight to claims of judicial persecution (“Rooting out political corruption,” Dec. 3, page 8).
All theses cases highlight the need for judicial reform. This has been something that President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) has promised since he was first elected in 2008. Yet up to now he has delivered precious little. With Ma’s party controlling both the executive and legislature, there is no excuse for the lack of action.
Furthermore, in 2009, the Ma government ratified two important UN human rights treaties. These treaties do not specify abolition of the death penalty, but impose strict standards on its use (“Taiwan’s sham over death penalty,” Nov. 17, page 8). In spite of this, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators recently put forward proposals to expand the range of crimes in which the death penalty should apply (“Death penalty changes proposed,” Dec. 5, page 3).
Although Taiwan’s government is failing, its civil society is blooming. The tireless work of non-governmental organizations has contributed to many important human rights gains over the past two decades.
The annual LGBT Pride Parade highlights Taiwan’s tolerance and the ongoing efforts of the LGBT community to gain important rights.
Taiwan’s youth are also a cause for hope. University students are at the forefront of the current movement against a media monopoly. Some of these students drew on their experiences in the 2008 Wild Strawberry Movement (“Student protest leader speaks on civil liberties,” Dec. 3, page 3).
Taiwan’s transition to democracy without transitional justice means that the people must be ever vigilant and active in standing up for human rights. Justice and human rights in Taiwan will only come through a grassroots effort of the people.
David Reid
Taradale, Australia
Recently, China launched another diplomatic offensive against Taiwan, improperly linking its “one China principle” with UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 to constrain Taiwan’s diplomatic space. After Taiwan’s presidential election on Jan. 13, China persuaded Nauru to sever diplomatic ties with Taiwan. Nauru cited Resolution 2758 in its declaration of the diplomatic break. Subsequently, during the WHO Executive Board meeting that month, Beijing rallied countries including Venezuela, Zimbabwe, Belarus, Egypt, Nicaragua, Sri Lanka, Laos, Russia, Syria and Pakistan to reiterate the “one China principle” in their statements, and assert that “Resolution 2758 has settled the status of Taiwan” to hinder Taiwan’s
Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s (李顯龍) decision to step down after 19 years and hand power to his deputy, Lawrence Wong (黃循財), on May 15 was expected — though, perhaps, not so soon. Most political analysts had been eyeing an end-of-year handover, to ensure more time for Wong to study and shadow the role, ahead of general elections that must be called by November next year. Wong — who is currently both deputy prime minister and minister of finance — would need a combination of fresh ideas, wisdom and experience as he writes the nation’s next chapter. The world that
Can US dialogue and cooperation with the communist dictatorship in Beijing help avert a Taiwan Strait crisis? Or is US President Joe Biden playing into Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) hands? With America preoccupied with the wars in Europe and the Middle East, Biden is seeking better relations with Xi’s regime. The goal is to responsibly manage US-China competition and prevent unintended conflict, thereby hoping to create greater space for the two countries to work together in areas where their interests align. The existing wars have already stretched US military resources thin, and the last thing Biden wants is yet another war.
As Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu’s party won by a landslide in Sunday’s parliamentary election, it is a good time to take another look at recent developments in the Maldivian foreign policy. While Muizzu has been promoting his “Maldives First” policy, the agenda seems to have lost sight of a number of factors. Contemporary Maldivian policy serves as a stark illustration of how a blend of missteps in public posturing, populist agendas and inattentive leadership can lead to diplomatic setbacks and damage a country’s long-term foreign policy priorities. Over the past few months, Maldivian foreign policy has entangled itself in playing