According to Chi, the Witnesses inmates are model prisoners and are not treated as criminals by prison security guards or other inmates. And spending time in jail is even more acceptable for them than serving in the military, he added.
Though the government says it can do nothing to help those in jail, supporters claim their is still a solution that has yet to be tried -- amnesty.
"It's the most practical solution considering rule of law and humanitarian concerns are equally important," said Nigel N.T. Li (李念祖), who is a voluntary defense counsel for several of the 16 Witnesses and is now working on a petition for amnesty to President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁).
"It's arguable amnesty sometimes gets controversial. But just look at these men, everyone knows they didn't commit real crimes at all, but conscientiously they are opposed to war or anything related to it," Li said. "If only we could get the message through, I don't think any controversies will be provoked when the president grants amnesty or commutation to these Witnesses."
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