The Ministry of the Interior on Wednesday launched a series of events to commemorate Freedom of Speech Day observed annually on April 7 since 2016, including movie screenings and walking tours in Taipei.
At an opening ceremony, Deputy Minister of the Interior Wu Tang-an (吳堂安) said the commemorative events from Wednesday to May 25 seek to go beyond Taiwan’s democratic movement and provide a glimpse into how other nations fought for freedom and democracy.
“Through this diverse range of activities, we look forward to showcasing the hard work and bravery demonstrated by individuals in Taiwan and around the world who have advocated for democracy and freedom,” he said.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of the Interior
Seven movies were selected for special screenings on Saturdays and Sundays over the next seven weeks, featuring stories of people who attempted to live under authoritarian regimes with dignity, or even stand up and oppose oppression.
They include Broken Keys, a movie by Lebanese director Jimmy Keyrouz about a musician who tries to rebuild his piano destroyed by extremists, and No Bears by Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi, who is known for being politically vocal with his satirical works.
Each movie showing would be followed by a talk given by writers, academics or journalists, the ministry said.
In addition to movie showings, four walking tours would be held in Taipei, allowing participants to visit sites symbolic to the democratic movement.
No registration is needed for those who wish to take part in the events.
“Freedom of Speech Day” was designated by the Executive Yuan in 2016 to remember democracy advocate and political magazine publisher Nylon Cheng (鄭南榕), who self-immolated at his office on April 7, 1989, in protest as the authorities attempted to arrest him on charges of sedition.
Taiwan was under martial law from 1949 to 1987, during which time freedom of speech, association and publication were heavily suppressed.
Even after martial law was lifted, freedom of speech continued to be stifled until Article 100 of the Criminal Code, which provided for the imprisonment of people deemed by the authorities to be guilty of anti-state activities, was amended in 1992.
Cheng Chu-mei (鄭竹梅), daughter of the late activist and president of the Nylon Foundation, underscored the importance of telling her father’s story and what he achieved for Taiwan’s democratization every year.
“I don’t know how Taiwan will commemorate this day over the next 10 or 35 years, but I hope we will continue to have the freedom and the right to remember him,” she said.
The government should improve children’s outdoor spaces and accelerate carbon reduction programs, as the risk of heat-related injury due to high summer temperatures rises each year, Greenpeace told a news conference yesterday. Greenpeace examined summer temperatures in Taipei, New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Hsinchu City, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung to determine the effects of high temperatures and climate change on children’s outdoor activities, citing data garnered by China Medical University, which defines a wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT) of 29°C or higher as posing the risk of heat-related injury. According to the Central Weather Administration, WBGT, commonly referred to as the heat index, estimates
Taipei and other northern cities are to host air-raid drills from 1:30pm to 2pm tomorrow as part of urban resilience drills held alongside the Han Kuang exercises, Taiwan’s largest annual military exercises. Taipei, New Taipei City, Keelung, Taoyuan, Yilan County, Hsinchu City and Hsinchu County are to hold the annual Wanan air defense exercise tomorrow, following similar drills held in central and southern Taiwan yesterday and today respectively. The Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) and Maokong Gondola are to run as usual, although stations and passenger parking lots would have an “entry only, no exit” policy once air raid sirens sound, Taipei
Taipei placed 14th in the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) Best Student Cities 2026 list, its highest ever, according to results released yesterday. With an overall score of 89.1, the city climbed 12 places from the previous year, surpassing its previous best ranking of 17th in 2019. Taipei is “one of Asia’s leading higher-education hubs,” with strong employer activity scores and students “enjoying their experience of the city and often keen to stay after graduation,” a QS staff writer said. In addition to Taipei, Hsinchu (71st), Tainan (92nd), Taichung (113th) and Taoyuan (130th) also made QS’ list of the top 150 student cities. Hsinchu showed the
Environmental groups yesterday filed an appeal with the Executive Yuan, seeking to revoke the environmental impact assessment (EIA) conditionally approved in February for the Hsieh-ho Power Plant’s planned fourth liquefied natural gas (LNG) receiving station off the coast of Keelung. The appeal was filed jointly by the Protect Waimushan Seashore Action Group, the Wild at Heart Legal Defense Association and the Keelung City Taiwan Head Cultural Association, which together held a news conference outside the Executive Yuan in Taipei. Explaining the reasons for the appeal, Wang Hsing-chih (王醒之) of the Protect Waimushan Seashore Action Group said that the EIA failed to address
RSS