Lee Shuang-chuan Died in Vain

When Lee Shuang-chuan committed suicide, the whole country was in an uproar, and "non-disclosure of investigation" was hotly debated. Following "custom," once the three-day news cycle passed, Taiwan simply returned to "business as usual."

At that time, we naively hoped that Lee Shuang-chuan's suicide would—much like Wang Ying-hsien's drowning in the river, which sparked public condemnation of police torture—force prosecutors, police, and investigators to seriously reflect on the meaning of "non-disclosure of investigation." However, seeing once again how "omnipotent" the media was in reporting in meticulous detail how the prosecutors and police wisely filtered communication records, tracked down drug dealers, learned about the drugs sold, and how it matched toxicological reactions... facing such "Non-Disclosure of Investigation" by prosecutors and police, one can only shake their head and say: a single human life may still not be enough.

Even if the prosecutors and police believe they did not violate the principle of Non-Disclosure of Investigation, and that there were no procedural violations, they probably still fail to understand what "refined justice" demands. The difference between the state and an "organized and strictly disciplined gang of bandits" is that during the investigative process, human care is extended to everyone who might be affected or harmed, rather than resorting to any means necessary solely to catch the "culprit." Have prosecutors and police ever considered that, in addition to suspects, there are victims and witnesses in an investigation, as well as other innocent friends and family members who may be affected? Are prosecutors and police truly "not worried at all" that by indiscriminately and unreservedly disclosing the process, witnesses or evidence that might later serve as the basis for conviction will dare not make specific identifications due to the pressure of overexposure, or that evidentiary leads will be prematurely destroyed, and friends and family members subjected to unwarranted harassment? The considerations behind non-disclosure of investigation are multifaceted; it is by no means simply a question of "to disclose or not to disclose."

After enduring continuous public questioning over procedural rules regarding violations of "Non-Disclosure of Investigation," if the prosecutors and police feel a sense of "vindication" and "relief" simply because Lee Shuang-chuan ultimately turns out to be the mastermind behind the crime, we can only sigh and say that procedural justice in our country remains nothing more than a slogan.

※ Published in: China Times / A15 / Time Square