The Model Asian Court of Human Rights is slated to take place in Taipei this weekend.
Hsu Yu-hsiu (許玉秀), a former grand justice and initiator of the event, on July 11 said that Taiwan is more than qualified to head the establishment of a court of human rights in Asia, as Europe, Africa and the Americas have already done.
Taiwan has an open society, an abundance of legal talent and a desire for peace, she said.
A human rights court could serve as a conflict resolution mechanism that would facilitate cooperation and peace in the Asia-Pacific region, Hsu said.
While South Korea is another leader in promoting human rights, Taiwan’s legalization of same-sex marriage has impressed many observers and freedom of speech is another advantage the nation has, she said.
An international court of human rights would be authorized to deliberate on issues of fact and law, order the release of convicts and fine a government for violating the rights of its citizens, she said.
The model court could exert real influence on Asian courts, despite lacking the authority to issue legally binding verdicts, she added.
The model court is to hold a mock trial of the case of Taiwanese death row inmate Chiou Ho-shun (邱和順).
Chiou was sentenced to death in 1989 for a robbery-murder and an abduction-murder he allegedly committed with coconspirators a year earlier, Hsu said.
The Taiwan High Court upheld the verdict in 2011 without the possibility of appeal, she said.
The case is controversial because of its lack of forensic evidence, which the prosecution admitted to having misplaced, and because of Chiou’s claims that police obtained his confession using torture, she said, adding that the allegation was later corroborated by a retired officer.
The body of one of the victims was never found.
Chiou maintains his innocence, Hsu added.
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