A group of judicial advocates yesterday marched in Taipei as they entered their 20th day of protests to urge Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers to include a jury system in a judicial reform bill.
“We are very disappointed to find [the jury system] has been excluded, as the majority of people support jury trials in criminal cases,” said Judicial Reform Foundation chairman Lin Yung-sung (林永頌), who was joined in the march by representatives from the Taiwan People’s Party, Taiwan Solidarity Union, Free Taiwan Party, Taiwan Renewal Party and Taiwan Independence Party.
Taiwan Jury Association founder Jerry Cheng (鄭文龍) presented at the march a statement from US-based Formosan Association for Public Affairs’ Los Angeles chapter, which said that “a jury system provides a more fair trial and prosecution process... We wish to see Taiwan test both jury and lay judge systems, then it can make a final decision based on people’s satisfaction.”
Photo: CNA
A statement from US-based Formosan Association for Human Rights read: “The jury system is both a duty and a right for US citizens. Taiwanese are in discontent with the justice system here, because of the woes and misdeeds they have encountered with the judges in Taiwan. Speaking from our own experience, we want to encourage Taiwanese to have the courage to adopt the jury system, which has been in effect for more than 300 years.”
Another statement came from the Taiwanese-Canadian Association, which urged Taiwan to undertake real judicial reform. adding: “Taiwan’s government should implement the jury system, for which justice can be best served, and which is most suited to protect the rights and values of a democratic society.”
Former Taiwan Jury Association chairman Chang Ching (張靜), who is also a former judge, said: “Taiwan’s justice system is rotten to the core,” adding that he knew of many judges who took bribes and had been convicted for corruption.
Chang said that Taiwan’s justice system is still under the control of conservative forces and politically affiliated judiciary officials who have not changed their old mindset, despite Taiwan undergoing a democratic transition and the progress of the past two decades.
TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT: A US Air Force KC-135 tanker came less than 1,000 feet of an EVA plane and was warned off by a Taipei air traffic controller, a report said A US aerial refueling aircraft came very close to an EVA Airways jet in the airspace over southern Taiwan, a military aviation news Web site said. A report published by Alert 5 on Tuesday said that automatic dependent surveillance–broadcast (ADS-B) data captured by planfinder.net on Wednesday last week showed a US Air Force KC-135 tanker “coming less than 1,000 feet [305m] vertically with EVA Air flight BR225 as both aircraft crossed path south of Taiwan” that morning. The report included an audio recording of a female controller from the Taipei air traffic control center telling the unidentified aircraft that it was
A series of discussions on the legacy of martial law and authoritarianism are to be held at the Taipei International Book Exhibition this month, featuring findings and analysis by the Transitional Justice Commission. The commission and publisher Book Republic organized the series, entitled “Escaping the Nation’s Labyrinth of Memory: What Authoritarian Symbols and Records Can Tell Us,” to help people navigate narratives through textual analysis and comparisons with other nations. The four-day series is to begin on Thursday next week with a discussion between commission Chairwoman Yang Tsui (楊翠), Polish-language translator Lin Wei-yun (林蔚昀), and Polish author and artist Pawel Gorecki comparing
MOVING OUT: A former professor said that rent and early education costs in Taipei are the nation’s highest, which makes it difficult for young people to start families The population of Taipei last year fell to the lowest in 23 years due to high rent, more transportation options and the expansion of northern cities into a single metropolis, academics and city officials said on Monday. Data released this month by the Ministry of the Interior showed that the capital was home to 2,602,418 people last year, down 42,623 from 2019. The decline is second only to 1993, when the population fell by 42,828 people, while Taipei’s population was the lowest it has been since 1997. Taipei saw the biggest drop among the six special municipalities, while Taoyuan led the group in
‘EFFECTIVE DETERRENCE’: If the Biden administration suspends arms sales to Taiwan, the military could still ready a nimble fighting force for defense, an analyst said The “US Strategic Framework for the Indo-Pacific” last week sparked debate among analysts after US President Donald Trump declassified the document 20 years ahead of schedule. Trump on Tuesday last week released the document that had governed US strategic action in the region since the US leader approved its use in 2018. The document, which outlines US priorities in the region, emphasizes the importance of defending Taiwan against military aggression and facilitating the country’s development of asymmetric strategies and capabilities. The overall directive of the document is for the US to prevent China from establishing sustained air and sea dominance inside the first
RSS