Joint Statement on the 11th Anniversary of the Three Death-Row Prisoners in the Su Chien-ho, Chuang Lin-xun, and Liu Bing-lang Case

On August 15, the Su case will enter its twelfth year. In other words, the three youths, Su Chien-ho, Liu Bing-lang, and Chuang Lin-xun, have spent a full eleven years in prison since their arrest on August 15, 1991.

In eleven years, across 4,015 days, Taiwanese society has witnessed political party rotation, the MRT, betel nut beauties, multiple admissions schemes, Meteor Garden, and "building a nation on human rights" becoming front-page news headlines... Over eleven years, you and I have grown along with the pace of social change, experiencing falling in love, heartbreak, employment, unemployment, marriage, and divorce, experiencing joy or frustration in our hardworking lives. However, over the exact same eleven years, Su Chien-ho, Liu Bing-lang, and Chuang Lin-xun have been trapped behind bars due to death sentences that violated the rules of evidence. They have had no opportunity to participate in this society's changes, have had no youthful dreams, and even "ordinariness" has become a luxury. They have only been left within cold walls, letting their bodies and minds waste away and collapse, and letting their loved ones die amidst the advocacy process. Regarding their lives, they are powerless.

At the end of 2000, under the advocacy of various sectors of society, the Su case entered the judicial retrial stage. If this is said to be the judiciary giving the Su case a chance, it is rather that the three of them have once again given Taiwanese society and the judiciary a chance at the cost of their lives. All friends and human rights organizations concerned about the Su case have waited patiently, waiting for Taiwanese society to cherish life more and for the judiciary to respect human rights and justice more.

On August 15, 2002—the eleventh anniversary of the arrest of Su Chien-ho, Liu Bing-lang, and Chuang Lin-xun—we invite all friends concerned with the Su case and judicial human rights to accompany them to court at the High Court for the hearing. With roses symbolizing friendship, we convey our unwavering care and support—not only are they standing trial, but Taiwan's judiciary itself is also standing trial.

On this Qixi Festival (Chinese Valentine's Day), we sincerely offer three wishes for the festival:

1. First Wish: We hope their physical and mental willpower can hold out. Due to the brutal torture they suffered upon their arrest 11 years ago, they suffered severe physical trauma and have grown increasingly frail; in particular, Chuang Lin-xun's mental state has collapsed on several occasions and has yet to improve. We pray for their physical and mental health, and also expect the prison authorities to provide appropriate medical care to inmates.
2. Second Wish: We hope judicial trials strictly uphold the "presumption of innocence" and the "rules of evidence." The Su case previously sparked humanitarian advocacy from various domestic and international sectors due to numerous errors in the court's recognition of facts and application of law. We hope the retrial of the Su case will set a benchmark for Taiwan's judicial trials, faithfully implementing the "presumption of innocence" and the "rules of evidence." The retrial will not only be a judgment on the life and death of three individuals, but also a crucial judicial and human rights indicator for Taiwanese society.
3. Third Wish: We hope the families of the three men and the family of the deceased find the comfort of justice and rebirth. In the homicide of eleven years ago, the greatest and most direct victims were naturally the brutally murdered Mr. and Mrs. Wu Ming-han and their family; subsequently, the unjust trial dragged Su Chien-ho, the other two, and their families into endless suffering. Whether it is the direct victims of the homicide or the derivative victims, they were originally people sharing the same fate, yet they were pulled apart by deeply questionable judicial judgments, causing multiple harms. We pray that delayed justice will allow all four families to shake off the nightmare, find comfort, and achieve rebirth.