Civil groups called for judicial reform yesterday, as the verdict date for a murder case approaches.
At a photography exhibit in honor of convicted murderer Hsu Tzu-chiang (徐自強), Judicial Reform Foundation executive secretary Hsiao I-min (蕭逸民) said Hsu’s case demonstrates the need to implement a jury system to curb judicial bias in issuing verdicts.
Hsu was sentenced to death for his alleged role in the kidnapping and murder of a real-estate businessman in 1995 based on the confessions of other defendants in the case. Activists have criticized the initial ruling because of the inability of Hsu’s lawyers to cross-examine the other defendants.
They also say there is security camera footage showing that Hsu was in a different county when the kidnapping and murder occurred.
The case has already gone through eight appeals, bouncing between courts as a result of repeated retrials. The verdict for the ninth appeal is to be announced on Tuesday, exactly 20 years after the murder.
Hsiao said that Hsu’s case reflected uneven judicial progress following the lifting of martial law in 1987.
A lack of “transitional justice” forcing judges and police officers to take responsibility for past wrongdoing led to the continued use of abusive interrogation practices, he said, adding that “torture” had been used to extract confessions from Hsu’s codefendants.
Hsiao said that while additional legal safeguards have gradually been implemented, judicial bias continues to plague the legal system.
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