Lawmakers yesterday questioned what they said was the leniency given to entertainer Mickey Huang (黃子佼) despite court documents saying that Huang had been in possession of seven child pornography videos, including videos that featured children as young as 12.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chiu Chih-wei (邱志偉) said he had obtained documents on the deferred prosecution to which Huang was setenced, compiled by the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office, adding that after reviewing the document, he found that Huang’s “criminal behavior” was much more hideous than had previously been reported.
“The victims were mostly Taiwanese, some aged as young as 12. Some of the victims in the video were subjected to cruel treatment and sexual abuse,” he said at a news conference at the legislature in Taipei yesterday.
Photo: Lo Pei-de, Taipei Times
The prosecutors’ investigation found that Huang had obtained the illegal sex videos from a members-only Web site that was based in Taiwan, Chiu said.
“The prosecutor said that because Huang had no prior criminal record, it was likely just ‘a momentary lapse of reason,’ and therefore decided on a deferred prosecution, only requiring a fine and for Huang to write a 1,200-word letter of apology. This decision is far removed from the expectation of our society,” he added.
DPP Legislator Chung Chia-pin (鍾佳濱) said that society is in uproar over the decision, since it is not an isolated case, but the result of systematic criminal activities, adding that Huang purchased videos from the Web site in a series of transactions over seven years, from 2017 to last year.
Chung said that each transaction needed to go through complicated steps, and Huang only paid in cryptocurrency, to ensure his identity remained hidden throughout the process.
“We cannot agree with the prosecutors’ words that it was ‘a momentary lapse of reason,’” Chung said.
“Our society cannot accept that a person who conducted such a meticulous, well-planned criminal activity would be let off the hook,” he added.
DPP Legislator Chen Su-yueh (陳素月) said: “US and European countries take child pornography cases very seriously, and would mete out a severe punishment. For example in France, those convicted of child pornography offenses would receive a sentence of five years in prison and a fine of 75,000 euros” (US$77,776).
Chiu called on the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Health and Welfare to take a more hardline approach to those found guilty of crimes relating to the sexual exploitation of children, adding that the Child and Youth Sexual Exploitation Prevention Act (兒童及少年性剝削防制條例) has no deterrent effect, since punishments are too lenient.
Taiwan's Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) said Saturday that she would not be intimidated by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), following reports that Chinese agents planned to ram her car during a visit to the Czech Republic last year. "I had a great visit to Prague & thank the Czech authorities for their hospitality & ensuring my safety," Hsiao said on social media platform X. "The CCP's unlawful activities will NOT intimidate me from voicing Taiwan's interests in the international community," she wrote. Hsiao visited the Czech Republic on March 18 last year as vice president-elect and met with Czech Senate leadership, including
There have been clear signs of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) attempts to interfere in the nationwide recall vote on July 26 in support of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators facing recall, an unnamed government official said, warning about possible further actions. The CCP is actively involved in Taiwanese politics, and interference in the recall vote is to be expected, with multiple Chinese state media and TAO attempts to discredit the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and undermine public support of their recall movement, the official said. This interference includes a smear campaign initiated this month by a pro-Beijing Hong Kong news outlet against
A week-long exhibition on modern Tibetan history and the Dalai Lama’s global advocacy opened yesterday in Taipei, featuring quotes and artworks highlighting human rights and China’s ongoing repression of Tibetans, Hong Kongers and Uighurs. The exhibition, the first organized by the Human Rights Network for Tibet and Taiwan (HRNTT), is titled “From the Snowy Ridges to the Ocean of Wisdom.” “It would be impossible for Tibetans inside Tibet to hold an exhibition like this — we can do it. because we live in a free and democratic country,” HRNTT secretary-general Tashi Tsering said. Tashi Tsering, a Taiwan-based Tibetan who has never
A first shipment of five tons of Taiwan tilapia was sent from Tainan to Singapore on Wednesday, following an order valued at NT$600,000 (US$20,500) placed with a company in the city. The products, including frozen whole fish and pre- cooked fish belly, were dispatched from Jiangjun Fishing Harbor, where a new aquatic processing and logistics center is under construction. At the launch, Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che (黃偉哲) called the move a “breakthrough,” marking Taiwan’s expansion into the Singaporean tilapia market. Taiwan’s tilapia exports have traditionally focused on the United States, Canada, and the Middle East, Huang said, adding that the new foothold in
RSS