The wrongful execution of a soldier convicted of sexually abusing and murdering a five-year-old girl in 1996 was officially closed yesterday and the real suspect was indicted, the Supreme Prosecutor’s Office said yesterday.
Special Investigation Panel (SIP) spokesman Chen Hung-ta (陳宏達) told a press conference that Hsu Jung-chou (許榮洲) was charged with the murder of the girl, surnamed Hsieh (謝), and that prosecutors requested that the Taipei District Court sentence him to 20 years in prison.
Chen said Hsu was a pedophile and that he should receive lengthy medical treatment after he completes his sentence.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
The case sparked controversy earlier this year when a new investigation determined that Chiang Kuo-ching (江國慶), who served in Air Force Command in 1996 and was found guilty of murdering Hsieh after a month-long military investigation and executed the following year, was found innocent of the crime.
Chiang was 21 years old when he was executed.
The Military Supreme Court Prosecutors’ Office filed an extraordinary appeal with the Supreme Court in May last year to reopen the case, following findings by the Control Yuan that Chiang was tortured by military investigators.
Prosecutors’ documents said former air force counterintelligence officials Ko Chung-ching (柯仲慶), Teng Chun-huan (鄧震環), Lee Shu-chiang (李書強) and Lee Chih-Jen (李植仁), as well as Ho Tsu-yao (何祖耀), who is still in active service, had used inappropriate methods to coerce Chiang’s statement.
However, because the 10-year statute of limitation had expired, prosecutors did not indict them.
Prosecutors said no sufficient evidence was found to indicate that former minister of national defense Chen Chao-min (陳肇敏), who was then-chief of Air Force Command, Tsao Chai-sheng (曹嘉生), former Air Force Command legal department director, or former military prosecutors Chao Tai-shen (趙台生) and Huang Jui-peng (黃瑞鵬) violated criminal law in the case.
The prosecution said Chen Chao-min had disregarded the fact that military prosecutors were handling the criminal investigation and ordered the counterintelligence unit to take over.
Although the decision was not criminal per se, it was inappropriate, the prosecutors’ documents said.
Prosecutors said Chiang was tortured during questioning, including exposure to strong lights and being forced to watch a video of the girl’s autopsy. He was also threatened with an electric prod and deprived of sleep while being forced to undergo strenuous physical activity.
Prosecutors said that on Sept. 12, 1996, Hsu, who was also in Air Force Command, saw Hsieh watching TV alone at a restaurant at the base. He is believed to have led the girl to a washroom and then allegedly took off her clothes before brutally assaulting and raping her. To stifle the girl’s cries, he allegedly smothered her by putting his hand over her mouth and nose.
Prosecutors said Hsu left bloody palm prints at the scene of the crime, which a DNA test confirmed were his.
Chiang’s mother, Wang Tsai-lien (王彩蓮), and her attorney, Greg Yo (尤伯祥), held a press conference after the ruling yesterday.
“Chiang Kuo-ching’s reputation is finally cleared,” she said.
“However, the military officials involved in the investigation are too cold-blooded,” Wang said. “I can’t accept that Chen Chao-min was not indicted. I will sue him.”
Yo said Chen Chao-min was the mastermind behind the botched investigation. He ordered the counterintelligence unit to take over the case to force Chiang to confess to a crime he never committed.
Ministry of National Defense spokesman Lo Shao-ho (羅紹和) said prosecutors had determined that Chiang was wrongfully executed.
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) apologized to Chiang Kuo-ching and his family in February.
The military court is currently reviewing the case and if the court formally acquits Chiang, his family could apply for maximum national compensation of NT$30 million (US$1.04 million).
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY CNA
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS