The US-based Formosan Association for Human Rights (FAHR) in a letter on Saturday condemned the “inhuman imprisonment conditions” faced by former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and called on the Presidential Office and Ministry of Justice to “set aside political motives” and grant Chen the hospital stay he needs to return to full health.
Chen, who is serving a 17-and-a-half-year prison sentence for corruption, was granted a temporary release from Taipei Prison on Tuesday for a medical checkup at Taoyuan General Hospital because of heath concerns. A series of tests revealed that he was suffering from an acute coronary syndrome and significantly reduced blood flow to the heart, a potentially fatal condition, the letter said.
Taipei Prison ignored Chen’s repeated requests for a hospital checkup for a month until pressure from 13 legislators persuaded it to relent, it said.
However, the prison authorities had planned to return Chen to prison immediately after the checkup.
Chen is currently in the intensive care unit after undergoing an urgent cardiac catheterization procedure on Wednesday. A small tumor was also found on his prostate during the examination.
“FAHR also calls for the opposition parties and people in Taiwan not to tolerate such inhuman treatment of a former president by the current [Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT)] government in Taiwan,” it said.
Having been in prison for more than 1,200 days, Chen’s health has deteriorated rapidly, the letter said.
Although the letter made no reference to the matter, Chen’s entourage last week also determined that the former president had been given the anti-anxiety medication Ativan. According to his office and family members, the drug was administered without his consent.
Doctors at Taoyuan General Hospital attributed Chen’s poor health to long-term deprivation of sunlight, lack of exercise and an inactive lifestyle.
Chen’s son, Chen Chih-chung (陳致中), said last week that his father faced “inhuman conditions” in jail and was allowed only 30 minutes of outdoor activities a day.
Minister of Justice Tseng Yung-fu (曾勇夫) cited security concerns and respect for a former head of state for barring Chen from working in the prison factory.
“Early this year, for nine straight days, he was even denied his daily exercise time,” the letter said, -adding that unlike other inmates, who could work eight hours a day in prison factories, Chen Shui-bian had essentially been confined to a small, damp cell 24 hours a day. “Chen is not even allowed a desk and is forced to write on the floor. Such imprisonment conditions are a direct violation of the minimum requirements for prison conditions sanctioned by the UN, which says: ‘every prisoner who is not employed in outdoor work shall have at least one hour of suitable exercise in the open air daily if the weather permits.’”
“It is apparent that the inhuman imprisonment conditions [have led] to the rapid deterioration of Chen’s [Shui-bian] health,” it said. “FAHR condemns such inhuman and unlawful treatment against any prisoner, never mind a former president of Taiwan, twice democratically elected.”
Costa Rica sent a group of intelligence officials to Taiwan for a short-term training program, the first time the Central American country has done so since the countries ended official diplomatic relations in 2007, a Costa Rican media outlet reported last week. Five officials from the Costa Rican Directorate of Intelligence and Security last month spent 23 days in Taipei undergoing a series of training sessions focused on national security, La Nacion reported on Friday, quoting unnamed sources. The Costa Rican government has not confirmed the report. The Chinese embassy in Costa Rica protested the news, saying in a statement issued the same
Taiwan is to extend its visa-waiver program for Philippine passport holders for another year, starting on Aug. 1, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said on Friday. Lin made the announcement during a reception in Taipei marking the 127th anniversary of Philippine independence and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The decision reflected Taiwan’s commitment to deepening exchanges with the Philippines, the statement cited Lin as saying, adding that it was a key partner under the New Southbound Policy launched in 2016. Lin also expressed hope
Temperatures in New Taipei City’s Sindian District (新店) climbed past 37°C yesterday, as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) issued heat alerts for 16 municipalities, warning the public of intense heat expected across Taiwan. The hottest location in Taiwan was in Sindian, where the mercury reached 37.5°C at about 2pm, according to CWA data. Taipei’s Shilin District (士林) recorded a temperature of 37.4°C at noon, Taitung County’s Jinfeng Township (金峰) at 12:50 pm logged a temperature of 37.4°C and Miaoli County’s Toufen Township (頭份) reached 36.7°C at 11:40am, the CWA said. The weather agency yesterday issued a yellow level information notice for Taipei, New
CASE: Prosecutors have requested heavy sentences, citing a lack of remorse and the defendants’ role in ‘undermining the country’s democratic foundations’ Five people affiliated with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), including senior staff from the party’s Taipei branch, were indicted yesterday for allegedly forging thousands of signatures to recall two Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers. Those indicted include KMT Taipei chapter director Huang Lu Chin-ru (黃呂錦茹), secretary-general Chu Wen-ching (初文卿) and secretary Yao Fu-wen (姚富文), the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said in a news release. Prosecutors said the three were responsible for fabricating 5,211 signature forms — 2,537 related to the recall of DPP Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) and 2,674 for DPP Legislator Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) — with forged entries accounting for
RSS