Prison officials have blocked former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) from publishing another article from jail.
Taipei Prison authorities said that questionable content was again the reason behind its latest rejection of a Chen article, in a move that Chen supporters have labeled unconstitutional.
Chen’s office said articles he writes in jail are protected under freedom of expression rights, especially as they focus on sensitive political matters, and that they are allowed under laws governing prison conduct.
Prison officials are free to determine whether the subject is appropriate and whether it violates the discipline and reputation of the prison, but not whether it is politically correct, a statement from his office said.
“Chen’s article this time deals with [Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)] unity ... does this count, according to the prison, as the wrong sort of topic?” the statement asked.
Controversy over the blocking of Chen’s articles first erupted last month when a magazine column written by the former president was censured and revised, causing it to miss a submission deadline, even though an earlier review had approved the article.
Chen has published three books from prison and maintains a biweekly column titled “A-Bian’s journal.”
Supporters said the move was unusual and asked the Ministry of Justice to explain.
Questioned about the issue during a newspaper interview on June 24, President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said that inmates are protected under freedom of expression laws, in a move that suggested support for publication of Chen’s column.
The article, which the former president was paid for, was printed in a later edition of the Chinese-language Next Magazine.
Chen Chih-chung (陳致中), the former president’s son, said the latest decision by Taipei Prison officials was surprising given that Ma had already clarified the legal position.
The most recent article, part of his biweekly column, was originally to be published by the Chinese-language Taiwan Times yesterday, his office said.
Titled “Happily seeing the [DPP’s] four hand in hand,” in reference to a spirit of cooperation between DPP Chairperson and presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and three former premiers, Chen Shui-bian wrote about his opinions on party unity, the office statement said.
Prison administrator Su Kun-ming (蘇坤銘) said that although there were no problems with the subject of the article, parts of the content were “inappropriate,” without elaborating.
This is the first time that Chen Shui-bian’s biweekly column has missed its deadline since he started writing it in December 2009.
DPP spokesperson Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) called the rejection “politically motivated” and said that prison administrators should have looked at relevant laws before proceeding under what he said were orders from the Ma administration.
Chen Shui-bian and his wife, Wu Shu-jen (吳淑珍), were each sentenced to 17-and-a-half-year prison terms by the Supreme Court last year after being convicted of corruption and taking bribes.
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