Su Chien-ho (蘇建和), a death row inmate in the Hsichih Trio case, is to be nominated as a candidate for an international award for young human rights activists.
The non-profit Taiwan Association for Human Rights (台灣人權促進會) has decided to nominate the 29-year-old inmate for the 2002 Reebok Human Rights Award, established by the US-based sportswear manufacturer in 1988 to support the work of young human rights activists.
The program, which gives a US$50,000 grant to each award recipient -- with, on average, four or five people honored each year -- is aimed at encouraging young people around the world who have made significant contributions to the cause of human rights, often against significant odds.
Candidates for the award must be 30 years of age or younger and they must be working on an issue that directly relates to the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Past award recipients have been recognized for their work in such areas as fighting for Native American land rights; protesting human rights abuses in Tibet; protecting the rights of ethnic minorities in Myanmar; and rescuing child prostitutes in Thailand.
Ku Yu-jane (顧玉珍), the association's secretary-general, said it occurred to her one day that Su is eligible to be a nominee for the award in light of his young age and his contributions to Taiwan's legal reform.
Su, at the age of 19, was charged in the murder of a couple in Hsichih in Taipei County, along with three other men. He was subsequently convicted and is currently on death row.
However, ever since the incident human rights groups in Taiwan have questioned many aspects of his conviction, including the lack of direct evidence and the police's use of torture. After years of effort, Su and his two co-defendants in the murder case were granted a retrial in December last year by the Taiwan High Court.
Ku said that since Su's case, there have been a lot of legal changes made to prevent human rights violations in police interrogation procedures, including the requirement that the process be recorded. Su's questionable conviction has also prompted people to rethink the dangers of a system where the death penalty is irreversible, Ku said.
Recipients of the award will be selected by December and the awards will be presented next February.
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