JRF's Statement on the High Prosecutors Office's Appeal Against the Su Case Retrial Judgment

Regarding the High Prosecutors Office's decision today to appeal the retrial judgment of the Su case, ignoring prior calls from civil society organizations, scholars, and experts, the Judicial Reform Foundation expresses its incomprehension and regret!

JRF Executive Director Lin Ching-p'ing stated that during the retrial of the Su case, the rigor of the litigation procedure and the thoroughness of the judgment's reasoning were highly praised by legal professionals. Under these circumstances, the prosecutors of the High Prosecutors Office insisted on appealing. Aside from wasting precious litigation resources, making the general public pay a higher social cost for this unfortunate incident, and triggering further negative emotions, it is truly difficult to see any positive significance in this move by the High Prosecutors Office!

Furthermore, the Prosecutor-General of the Supreme Prosecutors Office previously filed extraordinary appeals in this case three times, demonstrating that the previous death penalty judgments in this case indeed contained numerous violations of the law. Yet today, the prosecutors of the High Prosecutors Office neither reflect on how the insufficiency of evidence stemmed from the sloppy evidence collection by police and prosecutors at the time, nor do they regard the profound significance highlighted by the Prosecutor-General's three extraordinary appeals that "the judiciary should not treat human life like grass." In response, while expressing its deep regret, the JRF is also heartbroken that the prosecution refuses to apologize to the public and admit the investigative negligence of that time, but instead disregards human rights and relentlessly pursues Su Chien-ho and the other two defendants!

At the same time, the JRF also calls upon the Supreme Court, which previously took the unprecedented step of holding a press conference to publicly "endorse" the death penalty judgment in this case: Please let the judges hearing this appeal uphold their conscience, cast aside prejudice, and adjudicate in accordance with the law. Do not let Taiwan's human rights situation regress, and do not let the admirable and forceful retrial judgment rendered by the High Court panel of judges become a fleeting flash in the pan in the history of Taiwan's judicial reform!