The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus yesterday voiced support for a Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) rally today, saying the judiciary “must not become a tool for political reckoning” and warned against what it described as selective enforcement of the law to target opposition figures.
The KMT made the comment after the TPP called on its supporters to rally in Taipei today in protest against the guilty verdict that sentenced former TPP chairman and Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) to 17 years in prison for corruption.
The TPP wrote on Facebook that its supporters were angry and unable to accept the verdict, which was handed down on Thursday, and that TPP Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) called for a nationwide mobilization of protesters.
Photo: Screen grab from the party’s Facebook page
“Do not allow prosecutors and investigators to continue abusing their power and to unlawfully victimize political opponents in tandem with those in power,” the TPP said, adding that the rally would be held today at 2pm on Ketagalan Boulevard in front of the Presidential Office Building.
The TPP said the ruling Democratic Progressive Party was undermining judicial independence and that the system had become a political tool.
The TPP also pledged to push for judicial reform and to “defend Ko’s innocence.”
The KMT caucus on Facebook post expressed its support, saying: “This is not just about any single political party, but about preventing Taiwan from sliding into the abyss of authoritarianism.”
Huang proposed the rally shortly after the Taipei District Court found Ko guilty of corruption and bribery linked to the Core Pacific City development project and three other cases, calling the verdict a “political judgement.”
He urged supporters to “seek justice” and called on President William Lai (賴清德) to address concerns over judicial independence.
Separately yesterday, KMT Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) did not respond to questions about whether she would join the rally to support Ko.
Ko has pleaded not guilty and the case can be appealed.
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