JRF Newsletter
Let Love Flow and End Wrongful Convictions: Premiere of the Music Video "Daisê kah To-siā" in Support of Hsu Tzu-chiang
Last edited: 2026-08-28
Dear friends,
The prosecutor has refused to accept the not-guilty verdict rendered in the ninth retrial of Hsu Tzu-Chiang's case and has appealed to the Supreme Court. Justice is still on the way, and our rescue efforts have yet to succeed.
November 21 marks the 20th-anniversary fundraising banquet of the Judicial Reform Foundation (JRF). Student volunteers produced a music video centered on the theme of Hsu Tzu-Chiang's innocence, bringing a full measure of warmth and support during this coldest economic winter. This music video is entirely self-made, using free venues and their own digital cameras. Lacking a camera slider, they improvised by pulling a cardboard cutout by hand; lacking artistic fonts, they hand-wrote letters, removed backgrounds, and pasted stickers. The entire production cost was merely NT$1,500 for renting photography lights. Although thrifty and makeshift, every shot was meticulously designed, fully embodying the judicial reform spirit of "doing the job right despite a tight budget."
At the fundraising banquet on the noon of November 21, lead vocalist SUZUKA will perform live to rally momentum for judicial reform. The JRF invites you to attend the fundraising banquet, listen together with everyone on-site, rally support for Hsu Tzu-chiang, and look forward to a final not-guilty verdict!
This music video for the song "Daisê kah To-siā" began when lead vocalist SUZUKA casually asked Hsu Tzu-Chiang if he usually wrote poetry, articles, or a diary. He replied, "No! But I've written many suicide notes..." That was how she learned that over his 16 years as a death-row inmate, Hsu had left behind numerous suicide notes. SUZUKA shared: "They should have been extremely desolate suicide notes, but reading them felt like having one's heart nourished. One passage deeply moved me: 'If anyone asks whether I harbor resentment in my heart for being wrongfully condemned to death, the truth is my heart is so filled with the warm grace you have given me that there is no space left to accommodate any impressions of the world's ugliness.' Writing this song, 'Daisê kah To-siā,' I hope to convey Hsu Tzu-Chiang's warmth and boundless compassion, and to encourage people."
"Daisê kah To-siā" was arranged and recorded pro bono by musician Chen Ping-Heng, and the single was released on September 1, 2015—the day the not-guilty verdict was handed down in the ninth retrial of Hsu Tzu-Chiang's case. SUZUKA's demo was originally accompanied only by a guitar; through Ping-Heng's ingenious arrangement, he integrated the ensemble of other instruments, aptly capturing the mood and emotion of the song. In August, while Ping-Heng was busy with music festival events, he utilized breaks after his performances to stay up all night and complete all the work so it would be finished before the verdict. By the time the recording was completed, it was already past one in the morning, and Hsu Tzu-Chiang considerately escorted each volunteer home. Hsu said, "This is the only thing I can do; I hope everyone gets home safe and sound."
The music video's director, Huang Kuan-Ming, shadowed the entire rescue campaign of Hsu Tzu-Chiang's ninth retrial this summer, preserving numerous precious records for Hsu's case. Kuan-ming remarked: "I spent a lot of time selecting footage for the music video because watching the bits and pieces of the rescue efforts for Hsu's case often brought me to tears unconsciously, causing me to miss the footage I was supposed to edit, and forcing me to start all over again. This music video aims to convey the emotional impact experienced by the volunteers. What left the deepest impression on us was the familial bond shared by Hsu Tzu-Chiang's family, which is the very theme of this music video." Kuan-Ming hopes this music video will attract more people to learn about and support Hsu Tzu-Chiang, aiding the upcoming rescue efforts.
The active participation of student volunteers is the most defining characteristic of the campaign to rescue Hsu Tzu-Chiang. For student volunteers, Hsu Tzu-Chiang is a legal issue that can be seen, heard, and touched; abstract legal provisions and metaphysical legal principles are all embodied concretely in Hsu Tzu-Chiang. Acquittal is something Hsu Tzu-Chiang should have received from the start, and something the judiciary ought to have accomplished from the beginning, yet justice has arrived 20 years late. The moment the flag of innocence was raised in the music video, the students' tears flowed not only for Hsu Tzu-chiang, but also for judicial justice. It is precisely this love for judicial justice that has kept the JRF moving forward for 20 years.
"Daisê kah To-siā"
Lyrics and Music / SUZUKA Arrangement / Ts'ai Ping-heng Taiwanese Guidance / Lü Nien-tsung, Liu I-hsiu
Every dark night waiting for the dawn to break
Watching the stars twinkle and asking the moon, are you all well?
Fearing that a misstep plunges one into a bottomless abyss
The light in the darkness is my endless yearning for you
Stored in my heart is the full measure of grace you have given me
With nowhere to cast away the shame brought upon ordinary folk
This letter written to you is to say to you: I am sorry
My grieving and lamenting heart cannot repay the grace of your raising and nurturing
This letter written to you is to say to you: Thank you
For running about everywhere on my behalf, for shedding tears and pleading for me
Shivering inside the iron bars
Yearning to see the buds sprout, to smell the fragrance of the blossoms
The footsteps of death echoing in the dead of night
Inevitably brings you to mind, wishing to hold you close in my arms
If time is like rainwater, falling down without turning back
Tears flowing incessantly, unable to watch you grow up
Looking at the photograph, wanting to say you are the one I cannot bear to part with
Truly hoping to cherish you properly
This letter written to you is to say to you: I am sorry
Your desolate state of mind is a debt forever lingering in my heart
This letter written to you is to say to you: Thank you
Your consideration and understanding still call me by the name: Father
Shivering inside the iron bars
Yearning to see the buds sprout, to smell the fragrance of the blossoms
Lead Vocalist / SUZUKA
Legal name Chen Hsin-I, currently a junior in the Department of Law at Providence University. She enjoys playing the guitar and singing for others, and is an amateur lyricist and songwriter who publishes works under her Japanese name, Suzuka. In her freshman year, she joined the Legal Aid Club and participated in the "Run to Condemn State Violence" event. This summer, she interned at the Judicial Reform Foundation, dedicating herself to the rescue efforts for Hsu Tzu-Chiang. She composed a song dedicated to Hsu Tzu-Chiang, praying for the early exoneration of his wrongful conviction.
This article is an AI-generated translation of the original Chinese text. In the event of any discrepancy, the Chinese version shall prevail.