JRF Newsletter
Chronicle of the National Judicial Reform Cycling Tour: The People and Stories Along the Way
Last edited: 2026-07-27
What happens to oneself is an accident; what happens to someone else is a story.
This was the heartfelt reflection shared by a member of the public after attending the Hsinchu event titled "10,151 Days on Death Row: The Ch'iang Ho-shun Case".
In the past, when we discussed judicial reform, we tended to habitualize perspectives from so-called experts or legal professionals, overlooking the voices of the true users of the judiciary—the people. We overlooked the "accidents" that judicial problems inflicted upon them, and no one ever listened to their "stories" or asked them, "Where do you think the judiciary needs reform?"
Therefore, this May, we launched the "National Judicial Reform Campaign: Cycling to Pass on the Dream of Judicial Reform". By cycling around Taiwan and visiting courts across the island, we gathered opinions and thoughts on judicial reform from the Taiwanese public. Driving 2 promotional vehicles and riding 4 bicycles, we embarked on a 13-day dream journey covering a total distance of 1,190 kilometers! Along the way, we held a total of 12 press conferences and 8 forums, filled all the way with the public's expectations for Taiwan's judiciary...
The Taste of Injustice Island-Wide Series Press Conferences & Forums
The People and Stories Along the Cycling Tour
Along the cycling route, we met all kinds of people and heard many stories and thoughts from them.
Among them, two stories involving business owners and the judiciary left a deep impression on us...
STORY 1 So You Are the Legendary JRF!
That day, as we passed through Hsilo, our bicycles ran into some trouble. After searching around, we found a local bike shop. The first thing the owner said when he saw us was: "So you are the legendary JRF!"
Upon hearing this, we naturally followed up by asking the owner for his thoughts on the judiciary, and he enthusiastically shared them with us...
He said: "When there are controversial cases in society, the government has a responsibility to give a clear account to everyone, helping us distinguish between opposing arguments. It shouldn't be that whenever an issue arises, the people are forced to split into two factions, not knowing what to do and losing faith in judicial rulings!"
Through such chats while repairing the bikes, we deeply understood that many instances of talking past each other do not necessarily stem from differing stances, but rather from a lack of effective communication. The owner's words further solidified our determination for this island-wide tour: to act as a bridge, allowing the people's voices to be heard, making the legal profession's expertise and dedication visible, and enabling everyone to communicate and understand one another to jointly build a better judicial environment.
STORY 2 I Cannot Kill, and Neither Can the State!
Our very first forum of the cycling tour was held in front of the Hsinchu Chenghuang Temple, marking our first temple-front lecture on the Ch'iang Ho-shun case. After Attorney Yu finished sharing details regarding the flaws and torture involved in the Ch'iang case, we noticed several children around seven or eight years old listening quietly nearby, so we asked them: Do you have anything to share?
One of the children picked up the microphone and said in a childish yet firm tone: "I cannot kill, and neither can the state!" This left everyone present deeply shocked and moved!
STORY 3 11 Bottles of Mineral Water
Before tackling "Shouka", the ultimate boss of our cycling tour, we stopped at a diner at the foot of the mountain. While chatting with the owner over a meal, we discovered that he too had suffered from the tribulations of lawsuits. After experiencing several twists and turns in life, he eventually settled in Pingtung to open a diner. Upon hearing the purpose of our cycling tour, before we left, he enthusiastically shoved 11 bottles of mineral water into our hands and said: "I can't help much, but you must take these. Keep it up!"
After hearing the owner's sharing, we felt even more profoundly that the judiciary for the people is like a blazing sun to autumn frost: even if justice is ultimately attained, the grueling entanglement may exhaust one's family fortune alongside endless pain and torment—let alone those wrongfully accused individuals who spent their youth battling the judiciary.
STORY 4 The Most Blunt Opinions from the Public
While climbing Shouka, we met two older brothers cycling around Taiwan on scooters. Their shirts were printed with the words: "Uncles are not old; we tour the island because we still have dreams."
We explained our opinion-gathering cycling tour, and they excitedly pulled out their phones to scan and vote online. Before writing on the postcard, one of them asked rather sheepishly: "We're a bit rough around the edges and don't understand the law, but can we write our feelings about the judiciary quite bluntly?" We replied, of course you can!
After accepting the postcard and reading what was written on the back—"Gan lin niang lao ji bai."—we all burst out laughing.
Then we told them, just like the words printed on their shirts, our journey was also undertaken because we have a dream: hoping to convey the public's most direct feelings toward the judiciary, and looking forward to a day in the future when people's feeling toward the judiciary is trust.
Conclusion
Postcards brimming with expectations for the judiciary were dropped into the suggestion box by children, mothers holding babies, stall-operating grandmothers, parking lot-attending grandfathers, restaurant owners, teenagers also cycling around the island, and people from all walks of life. Carrying these weighty expectations, our pedaling became ever more resolute, because we deeply felt that the people do harbor an imagination for judicial reform!
※ Click image to enlarge
It is not that the public lacks imagination for the judiciary, nor that they are unable to offer suggestions for reform; rather, past models made people feel that saying anything was useless and that their voices would neither be heard nor valued. This is also the deeper meaning of our face-to-face cycling tour: public opinion across various regions is like "a finger pointing at the moon"—as long as one focuses and follows the direction pointed, the path to reform becomes visible. The 1999 National Judicial Reform Conference led by legal elites now appears to have been merely grinding a tile into a mirror; the upcoming National Customs Conference on Judicial Affairs in October must not repeat the same mistakes.
The most grueling part of the island-wide tour was the straight yet seemingly endless headwind sections. Thinking that judicial reform is much the same—there are obstacles along the way, but knowing the goal of our efforts allows us to endure the hardship and keep pedaling forward. We sincerely hope the new president sees the scenery we have witnessed and builds a trustworthy Taiwanese judiciary!
This article is an AI-generated translation of the original Chinese text. In the event of any discrepancy, the Chinese version shall prevail.