Statement by the Judicial Reform Foundation on the Supreme Court's Judgment on the Fifth Extraordinary Appeal in the Hsu Tzu-chiang Case

Regarding the fifth extraordinary appeal filed by the Prosecutor-General—based on the intent of Judicial Yuan Interpretation No. 582—on behalf of Hsu Tzu-chiang, who was sentenced to death for kidnapping for ransom, the Supreme Court ruled today that the extraordinary appeal is well-founded. It has therefore set aside the original judgment and remanded the case to the Taiwan High Court for retrial. The JRF welcomes this ruling by the Supreme Court and will assemble a defense team for Hsu Tzu-chiang.

The JRF is gratified to see that the Supreme Court, adhering to the spirit of Interpretation No. 582, has restored procedural protections owed to criminal defendants by setting aside both Supreme Court Judgment Tai-Shang No. 2196 (2000) and Taiwan High Court Judgment Chung-Shang-Geng-(5)-No. 145 (1999). This not only concretely fulfills the constitutional protection of a defendant's rights in judicial proceedings, but also holds profound significance for the affirmation of the value of human life.

The JRF also hopes that the Taiwan High Court will conduct a fair trial in accordance with the aforementioned Judicial Yuan Interpretation and Supreme Court judgment, so as to clear Hsu Tzu-chiang's name at an early date.