Getting the public to sit up and take notice of the plight of three men on death row -- known as the Hsichih Trio -- has proved a difficult task for The Taiwan Association for Human Rights (TAHR,
Despite all the activities the groups have organized over the past few months, general public understanding and concern for the case remains limited.
A prayer vigil for the the three death-row inmates was started on April 15 in front of the Chinan Church next to the Legislative Yuan. In an attempt to attract public attention, the TAHR has held a special event in front of the church every weekend to lure crowds.
The past few weeks have seen a harp concert, a symphony performance, a singing group and a drama skit, while yesterday the TAHR fielded a choir named "Chingfeng Singing Group." (
"This is the only way we can attract the public's attention -- by coming up with all these ideas," said a clearly frustrated Chairman of the TAHR Lin Feng-jeng (
But attendance even with the events has been poor. Yesterday's event attracted only a dozen people, the performers and a few journalists.
Ku Yu-jane (
The three men were charged for involvement in the 1991 double murder of a couple in Taipei County's Hsichih. Their execution, however, has been held back for years because of controversy over how the police extracted evidence from the three men, then 19-years of age.
"During the past years, though the case has gained quite a bit of public exposure, the regular people really have no idea of what's going on in the case," said Ku.
"The complicated judicial procedures entailed in the case are far beyond people's comprehension," said Anna Yeh (葉冠伶), a member of the audience yesterday. "Though their goal is made clearly known, it is not easy [for ordinary people] to grasp the legal issues involved."
Lin said that the activists' morale was boosted when President Chen Shui-bian (
On May 19, the case seemed to hit a turning point when the High Court approved a retrial of the case.
However, it suffered a major setback when the Public Prosecutors' Office of the High Court made an interlocutory appeal against the ruling approved on May 19.
"The case is therefore sent back to its starting point -- the original stalemate." Lin said. "The intricate developments create an illusion for the public to think that the case still had room to argue under the judicial system, hence there is no need to push for a presidential amnesty. But there is not. The reality is that the verdict is still confirmed, and the death sentence can be executed anytime."
The lack of understanding of the judicial system has made the advocacy of the case very difficult, Ku added.
"In Taiwan, there is a general distrust of the judicial system. Most people do not believe that the court can grant people justice. Instead of relying on legal measures, they'd rather resort to other forces, such as making use of their connections with elected public representatives.
"Another problem is that people have a fear of the legal system, which prevents them from understanding the role it should play in society," said lawyer Hsueh Ching-feng (
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