The Transitional Justice Commission on Thursday called on the government to reopen an investigation into the death of democracy activist Chen Wen-chen (陳文成) four decades ago.
This year marks the 40th anniversary of Chen’s mysterious death, and a new investigation would not only help to solve the puzzle, but also serve to uphold transitional justice in Taiwan, the commission wrote on Facebook.
The commission, which re-examined Chen’s case last year after legal files were declassified, said it has sent letters to the Ministry of Justice and the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office detailing the importance of opening a new probe.
The commission said in a report that there was a possibility that Chen had been murdered by Taiwanese authorities in 1981, when the nation was under martial law.
Chen was found dead near a library at National Taiwan University, shortly after he arrived in Taiwan on vacation from the US, where he was a mathematics professor at Carnegie Mellon University and had been active in promoting Taiwan’s democratic movement.
The day before his body was found, Chen was summoned by the Taiwan Garrison Command, a state security force that has since been disbanded, and his death, at the age of 31, was widely seen as government reprisal for his activism overseas.
The commission also called on the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), which ruled the nation at the time, to release its files related to Chen’s death.
The KMT declined to comment on the commission’s request.
The Dr Chen Wen-chen Memorial Foundation also issued a statement, saying that the government has a responsibility to uncover the truth.
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