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Think tank urges action to deal with police brutality

By Ko Shu-ling
STAFF REPORTER
Friday, Nov 06, 2009, Page 3

On Tuesday it was exactly one year since China’s ARATS Chairman Chen Yunlin visited Taipei. Chen is set to meet his Taiwanese counterpart, Straits Exchange Foundation Chairman Jiang Pin-kung (江丙坤), in Taichung next month.

Wu Hao-jen (吳豪人), a law professor at Fu Jen Catholic University, said that while the government should be held partially responsible for a regression of Taiwan’s democracy, such arguments oversimplified the issue.

“The crux of the problem lies in the fact that many problems caused by transitional justice were not properly dealt with over the past 20 years,” he said. “Now former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) is paying the price.”

Wu made the remarks at a forum organized by the Taiwan Thinktank in Taipei yesterday. The event was entitled “The first anniversary of Chen Yunlin’s visit to Taiwan and the first anniversary of the demise of Taiwan’s democracy and human rights.”

Wu said President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration obtained its mandate legally, but what it was doing was unjust and eroding Taiwan’s democracy.

The China factor makes matters worse, he said, adding that it has caused a decline in national income and retrogression of human rights. While more and more intellectuals are afraid to speak up, he said, the more people give up their freedom, the more prosperous the suppressing regime would be.

Hsueh Ching-feng (薛欽峰), an attorney-at-law handling many cases connected to Chen Yunlin’s visit last year, expressed concern over the judiciary’s identification with the old system, despite the transfer of power.

As most members of the judiciary are not from suppressed groups, he said, they have little sympathy for those who are.

In one case he handled, Hsueh said a judge asked the plaintiff why he chose to join the protest against Chen Yunlin rather than staying home and watching TV.

Hsueh said his heart sank when the judge said law enforcement officers in many countries used violence against protesters.

The judge of another case considered police brutality as “improper individual conduct” and refused to call witnesses or obtain evidence to find out who gave orders, he said.

Urging the judiciary to take a neutral stance, Hsueh emphasized the importance of procedural justice and the replacement of unsuitable judges and prosecutors.

Chung Shu-chi (鍾淑姬) alleges she suffered police brutality and said she would never apologize to the law enforcement officers who she says violated her rights at a protest during Chen Yunlin’s visit. Nor would she settle the matter out of court, she said.

A female police officer took Chung to court, accusing her of obstructing public affairs and assault.

“I have two little children and an elderly mother. I don’t want to go to jail,” she said. “I will never apologize or admit doing anything wrong. I will join the protest when Chen [Yunlin] comes this time around.”

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