Beijing late on Friday announced that Taiwanese human rights advocate Lee Ming-che (李明哲) is being held for suspected subversion of state power.
The Ministry of Justice yesterday demanded that Beijing inform Taipei of Lee’s condition based on a cross-strait agreement to combat crime and cooperate on legal matters.
After the Chinese Ministry of State Security announced that Lee had been arrested, the justice ministry said it sent an e-mail to the Chinese Supreme People’s Procuratorate demanding that Lee’s physical health, security and litigation rights be protected during the investigation.
Photo: Lin Cheng-kung, Taipei Times
It said it also called on the Chinese authorities to allow Lee’s relatives to visit him and to release him immediately after the investigation’s completion.
The Straits Exchange Foundation yesterday also called on Chinese authorities to release evidence related to the case.
The foundation said it would continue to provide assistance to Lee’s family and urged Beijing to protect Lee’s rights to avoid damaging cross-strait relations.
Photo: CNA
Lee on March 19 went missing after entering China from Macau and was later confirmed to have been detained by Chinese authorities.
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office spokesman An Fengshan (安峰山) said that Lee had been officially arrested on suspicion of “subversion of state power.”
Lee has been detained in Hunan Province since March 19, An said, adding that he and “his partners in crime have directly confessed that they carried out activities that threaten our national security.”
An said that an investigation found that Lee had since 2012 frequently traveled to China, and worked with Chinese to develop plans and establish an illegal ring to subvert Beijing.
Lee used to work for the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and is a staff member at Wenshan Community College in Taipei, as well as a volunteer at Covenant Watch, a non-governmental organization.
China had previously refused to provide details about his case, such as where he was being detained and what laws he was accused of violating.
Beijing has also refused to discuss Lee’s case with Taiwanese authorities and has ignored requests to allow Lee’s wife, Lee Ching-yu (李凈瑜), to visit him.
Lee Ching-yu and human rights groups have said that any “confessions” claimed by Beijing would likely be the result of coercion and have rejected suggestions that Lee Ming-che was involved in any activities in violation of Chinese law.
A group of Taiwanese civic groups — including the Taiwan Association for Human Rights, Covenant Watch, Taiwan Alliance to End the Death Penalty and the Judicial Reform Foundation — yesterday issued a statement calling on Beijing to grant people it arrested the right to counsel, see visitors and view documents, which are basic rights under Chinese law.
The Ministry of Justice should take action by immediately sending delegates to China to negotiate for Lee’s release and make sure that he is safe and can hire a lawyer, the groups said.
Even if Chinese authorities intervene and bar the delegates from entering China, at least the nation would have made its appeals and position on the issue clear, they added.
Judicial Reform Foundation executive secretary Hsiao Yi-ming (蕭逸民) said the charge of “subversion of state power” is a pretext commonly used by Beijing to quash dissidents, and that people charged with this crime could face life sentences in the worst-case scenario.
Noting that Lee is the first Taiwanese arrested on the charge, Hsiao said the justice ministry has an unavoidable responsibility to take action, as Lee “will not be the last Taiwanese” to receive such treatment by China.
“Subversion of state power is a felony in China and imposing such a charge on a Taiwanese shows that China’s infringement on foreign human rights advocates have become increasingly blatant,” the groups’ statement said, calling on more nations to pay close attention to China’s behavior.
Considering the timing of Beijing’s news release on Friday night ahead of the Dragon Boat Festival, Wenshan Community College principal Cheng Hsiu-chuan (鄭秀娟) questioned China’s intentions, saying that it was purposefully dodging attention as people prepare for the holidays.
Separately yesterday, Deputy Legislative Speaker Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) said the “prison without trial” approach China is using only hurt the feelings of people across the Taiwan Strait and induced fear in Taiwanese visiting China.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s largest foundry service provider, yesterday said that global semiconductor revenue is projected to hit US$1.5 trillion in 2030, after the figure exceeds US$1 trillion this year, as artificial intelligence (AI) demand boosts consumption of token and compute power. “We are still at the beginning of the AI revolution, but we already see a significant impact across the whole semiconductor ecosystem,” TSMC deputy cochief operating officer Kevin Zhang (張曉強) said at the company’s annual technology symposium in Hsinchu City. “It is fair to say that in the past decade, smartphones and other mobile devices were
US-CHINA SUMMIT: MOFA welcomed US reassurance of no change in its Taiwan policy; Trump said he did not comment when Xi talked of opposing independence US President Donald Trump yesterday said he has not made a decision on whether to move forward with a major arms package for Taiwan after hearing concerns about it from Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平). Trump’s comments on Taiwan came as he flew back to Washington after wrapping up critical talks in which both leaders said important progress was made in stabilizing US-China relations even as deep differences persist between the world’s two biggest powers on Iran and Taiwan. “I will make a determination,” Trump said, adding: “I’ll be making decisions. But, you know, I think the last thing we need right
TAIWAN ISSUE: US treasury secretary Scott Bessent said on the first day of meetings that ‘it wouldn’t be a US-China summit without the Taiwan issue coming up’ There were no surprises on the first day of the summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday, as the government reiterated that cross-strait stability is crucial to the Asia-Pacific region, as well as the world. As the two presidents met for a highly anticipated summit yesterday, Chinese state media reported that Xi warned Trump that missteps regarding Taiwan could push their two countries into “conflict.” Trump arrived in China with accolades for his host, calling Xi a “great leader” and “friend,” and extending an invitation to visit the White House
SECURITY: Taipei presses the US for arms supplies, saying the arms sales are not only a reflection of the US security commitment to Taiwan but also serve as a mutual deterrent against regional threats Taiwan is committed to preserving the cross-strait “status quo” and contributing to regional peace and stability, the Presidential Office said yesterday. “It is an undeniable fact that the Republic of China is a sovereign and independent democratic nation,” Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) reiterated, adding that Beijing has no right to claim sovereignty over Taiwan. The statements came after US President Donald Trump warned against Taiwanese independence. Trump wrapped up a state visit to Beijing on Friday, during which Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) had pressed him not to support Taiwan. Taiwan depends heavily on US security backing to deter China from carrying
RSS