In light of the frequency of police abuse in Taiwan, the government's official watchdog, the Control Yuan announced yesterday its plans to investigate longstanding human rights violations by law enforcement officials.
Control Yuan President Fredrick Chien (錢復) announced yesterday that a three-member panel of the Yuan's human rights committee will launch an investigation into the common practices of law enforcement officials and will take disciplinary actions against any human rights violators among them.
Chien said there had been frequent complaints about illegal searches, seizures and arrests by police or investigating agents during criminal investigations, prompting this probe by the newly-created human rights committee, Chien said.
PHOTO: GEORGE TSORNG, TAIPEI TIMESN
Chien's announcement came yesterday as a victim of illegal police practices visited the Control Yuan to show his appreciation for the watchdog body's efforts in helping to reverse his organized-crime conviction.
Lee Wen-kuei (
Lee said he was lured by police to the Hsin-hsing branch (
During Lee's confinement, his wife had sought every opportunity to rescue him and prove his innocence. After members of the Control Yuan were told of Lee's case by a legislator, they began to investigate possible malpractice by the police.
The investigation eventually led to the impeachment of three police officers from the Hsin-hsing branch, and a Kaohsiung district court judge for violations of human rights.
During the investigation the ombudsmen found that between 1993 and 1994 police officers convicted a total of 30 defendants on charges of organized crime, 14 of which were based on testimonies the police had extracted from the same group of secret witnesses. Some of the witnesses, they found, had reported on six or seven of the 14 cases.
The Control Yuan then impeached the police officers. It was found they had used the group -- most of them retired men -- as "professional" secret witnesses who provided fabricated testimonies.
The judge who tried five of the 14 cases was impeached.
Lee served the full term of his sentence, heard of the impeachments after his release and filed for state compensation.
Though he received NT$1.87 million, Lee, who was a carpenter before his imprisonment, has been unable to get a job because of his criminal record.
Yesterday, Lee and his wife lashed out at the impeached police officers. "I've been out of a job since my release. It's shameful, I have to depend on my wife for a living," Lee said. "We're now in the process of filing charges against the police. And I think it's almost impossible for me to forgive the policemen considering how much suffering they've caused."
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