Members of the Taiwan Jury Association and groups advocating Taiwanese independence yesterday demonstrated outside the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) headquarters in Taipei to demand that the government implement a jury system.
Protest leaders said they want a “true jury system,” not the “citizen judge” system favored by the Judicial Yuan.
Chang Ching (張靜), a former judge and chairman of Taiwan Jury Association, said the citizen judge system would still leave the decisionmaking to judges, and it was a means for conservative forces to block judicial reform efforts.
Chang and other protesters urged the public to join them on Saturday in a “Support the jury system” march, which is to start at the Liberty Square at 2pm and proceed through downtown Taipei.
“There are too many abuses and too much misconduct in Taiwan’s judiciary. Only by instituting a jury system can people have the dignity and respect they deserve, and not have their legal rights violated. It would also decrease the possibility of innocent people being found guilty and wrongly jailed,” Chang said.
Peter Wang (王獻極), convener of the 908 Taiwan Republic Campaign group, said the majority of the public are disappointed by the government’s attempts at judicial reform, and have shown their dissatisfaction with the Judicial Yuan’s decision to have citizen judges instead of implementing a jury system.
The public is fed up with “dinosaur judges” who make rulings based on whims and that are out of touch with society, Wang said.
Most of the judges were educated through decades of brainwashing and party-state propaganda by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), and they have acted as the KMT’s tools to suppress Taiwanese fighting for democracy and freedom, he said.
Former minister of national defense Michael Tsai (蔡明憲), who has a juris doctor degree and had practiced law in US before returning to Taiwan, attended the protest to lend his support.
“In Taiwan, we need a jury system now, because this is the best way for the judiciary to have transparency, fairness and equal protection of rights for all citizens. It is also the system in the US, Canada, the UK, and other advanced nations, and many Asian nations are also moving toward a jury system,” Tsai said.
“Public surveys have consistently shown that Taiwanese have no confidence in the justice system, as there have been wrongful judgements and selective prosecution based on political considerations,” he said.
“Most people believe that their legal rights are being abrogated and violated under the current system. A jury system can restore the public’s trust in the fairness and equality of all citizens in the judicial process,” he added.
Chinese spouse and influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China videos that threaten national security, the National Immigration Agency confirmed today. Guan Guan has said many controversial statements in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” and expressing hope for expedited reunification. The agency last year received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification. After verifying the reports, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and explain her actions. Guan
GIVE AND TAKE: Blood demand continues to rise each year, while fewer young donors are available due to the nation’s falling birthrate, a doctor said Blood donors can redeem points earned from donations to obtain limited edition Formosan black bear travel mugs, the Kaohsiung Blood Center said yesterday, as it announced a goal of stocking 20,000 units of blood prior to the Lunar New Year. The last month of the lunar year is National Blood Donation Month, when local centers seek to stockpile blood for use during the Lunar New Year holiday. The blood demand in southern Taiwan — including Tainan and Kaohsiung, as well as Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Taitung counties — is about 2,000 units per day, the center said. The donation campaign aims to boost
The Kaohsiung Tourism Bureau audited six hotels in an effort to prevent price gouging ahead of Korean band BTS’ concert tour in the city scheduled for Nov. 19, 21 and 22 this year. The bureau on Friday said that the audits — conducted in response to allegations of unfair pricing posted on social media — found no wrongdoing. These establishments included the local branches of Chateau de Chine, Hotel Nikko, My Humble House, and Grand Hai Lai, it said, adding that the Consumer Protection Commission would have penalized price gougers had the accusations been substantiated. The bureau said the Tourism Development Act
BACK TO WINTER: A strong continental cold air mass would move south on Tuesday next week, bringing colder temperatures to northern and central Taiwan A tropical depression east of the Philippines could soon be upgraded to be the first tropical storm of this year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, adding that the next cold air mass is forecast to arrive on Monday next week. CWA forecaster Cheng Jie-ren (鄭傑仁) said the first tropical depression of this year is over waters east of the Philippines, about 1,867km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), and could strengthen into Tropical Storm Nokaen by early today. The system is moving slowly from northwest to north, and is expected to remain east of the Philippines with little chance of affecting Taiwan,
RSS