The March 18 Legislative Yuan Occupation Case
Last edited: 2026-11-03
On March 17, 2014, Chang Ch'ing-chung, the Kuomintang convener of the Internal Administration Committee, took advantage of the chaos to push the Cross-Strait Service Trade Agreement out of the committee and onto the floor for future reference in less than 30 seconds. This action violated the bipartisan consensus for article-by-article review, sparking dissatisfaction among students and various civic groups who had long monitored the issue, and prompting them to launch a sit-in protest in front of the Legislative Yuan.
On the following night, students and civic groups held an evening rally near the Legislative Yuan. Just before the rally concluded, crowds opposed to the covert trade agreement suddenly rushed into the Legislative Yuan and occupied the main chamber. When police failed to block them, additional forces were deployed to surround the Legislative Yuan and multiple clearance operations were attempted. Meanwhile, citizens successively gathered outside to hold a sit-in in solidarity, creating a standoff with the police. Thus began the 24-day March 18 Movement.
Following the conclusion of the movement, on February 10 of the following year (2015), prosecutors indicted 22 individuals who participated in the occupation of the legislative chamber.
Case Overview
In 2015, a total of 36 lawyers from the pro bono lawyer platform assisted the 22 indicted defendants. The case was filed with the Taipei District Court, and the charged offenses and the number of individuals charged for each offense are shown in the table below.
On March 31, 2017, the Taipei District Court issued its first-instance judgment regarding the 22 movement participants in the "March 18 Legislative Yuan Occupation Action" who were indicted for "instigating others to commit crimes," "obstructing official duties," "insulting a public office," and "being the ringleader of an unlawful assembly refusing to disperse." All 22 individuals were acquitted, and the pro bono legal team expressed high praise for this outcome.
| Indicted Offense | Statutory Penalty | Number of Persons |
| Article 136 Mass Obstruction of Official Duties | Under 7 years | 9 persons |
| Article 153 Instigating Others to Commit Crimes | Under 2 years | 9 persons |
| Article 135 Obstruction of Official Duties | Under 3 years | 4 persons |
| Article 140 Insulting a Public Office | Under 6 months | 3 persons |
| Assembly and Parade Act Article 29 Ringleader of a Public Assembly or Procession Refusing to Disperse | Under 2 years | 1 person |
This article is an AI-generated translation of the original Chinese text. In the event of any discrepancy, the Chinese version shall prevail.