Public Support for Concurrent Pilot Implementation of Lay Participation and Juries—Expanded Petition and Call-to-Action Press Conference

The "Alliance for the Concurrent Pilot Implementation of Jury and Lay Participation Systems" was initiated by civil society organizations concerned with judicial reform. Its demands are: (1) Oppose the Judicial Yuan's arbitrary exclusion of the jury system. (2) Public support for the concurrent pilot implementation of jury and lay participation systems. Since the petition was launched on April 30, over 100 organizations and 520 individuals have participated. See Appendix 1 for the petition form and Appendix 2 for the list of signatories. Today (the 4th), the alliance held its founding press conference to explain its action goals and strategies to the public.

1. Submit a Civil Draft Bill for Joint Review and Inter-Party Negotiation

   Assisted by the Taiwan People's Party, a civil version of the "Trial Period Act for People's Participation in Criminal Trials" advocating for the concurrent pilot implementation of jury and lay participation systems was proposed. Last Friday (the 1st), the Legislative Yuan plenary session resolved to commit the bill to the Judiciary and Organic Laws and Statutes Committee for joint review alongside other versions of people's participation in trial drafts, thereby bringing the parallel implementation of both systems into the scope of cross-caucus negotiations. On Thursday (the 7th) at 09:00, Legislator Betty Mei-yueh Lee (Li Kuei-min), convener of the Judiciary and Organic Laws and Statutes Committee, will hold a public hearing on "Enhancing Judicial Credibility: What Judicial Trial System Best Suits People's Participation in Our Country?" Representatives of this alliance will engage in a public debate with official representatives from the Judicial Yuan, the Ministry of Justice, and others to garner legislative support for the concurrent pilot implementation of jury and lay participation systems.

2. Enhance Public Outreach and Broadly Invite Public Petitions

   The alliance will proactively arrange media interviews and op-eds to promote the demand for concurrent pilot implementation, and welcomes media invitations, to which the alliance will actively respond. We will also continue to invite public participation in the petition via the internet to expand social engagement.

   • Petition website: https://sites.google.com/jrf.org.tw/peopleparticipation/ 

3. Launch Petition Actions to Reflect Public Will and Demands

   This Friday (the 8th) at 09:30, the alliance will mobilize organizational representatives to hold a petition action at the Chungshan South Road entrance of the Legislative Yuan, inviting representatives from the legislative caucuses of ruling and opposition parties to understand the alliance's demands and listen to the people's voices.

   The institutional choice for people's participation in trials concerns the success or failure of judicial reform. Civil society believes that both the jury system and the lay participation system have their respective pros and cons, and no one can say for sure which system is more suitable for our national conditions. Civil society advocates for a six-year concurrent pilot implementation of both systems precisely to accurately assess public opinion before designing a system suited to national conditions. The alliance calls on all political parties in the legislature to pass legislation for the concurrent pilot implementation of jury and lay participation systems, living up to the public's high expectations for judicial reform.

Attendees

Representatives of Alliance Initiating Organizations
Lin Yung-sung / Chairperson, Judicial Reform Foundation
Cheng Wen-lung / Founding Chairperson, Taiwan Association for Citizens' Juries
Chang Ching / Member, National Congress on Judicial Reform
Hsieh Ming-chu / Member, National Congress on Judicial Reform
Tsai Ming-hsien / Chairperson, Taiwan United Nations Alliance
Chang Yeh-sen / President, Taiwan Society
Li Chuan-hsin / President, North Taiwan Society
Su Huan-chih / Convener, Taiwan Renewal Party
Wang Wei-chun / Chairperson, Association for Rights of Children, ROC (Member, National Congress on Judicial Reform)
Li Li-chung / Chairperson, Chinese National Association for the Promotion of Rule of Law Reform
Pan Wei-yu / Director, Taiwan Teachers' Alliance
Wang Hsiao-yu / Executive Director, Transparency International Taiwan
Chang Kai-chun / Chairperson, Taipei Civil Human Rights Service Association
Chen Wan-hsiang / President, Military Human Rights and Victims Families Association
Tseng Yu-ting / President, Chen Chun-ming Self-Rescue Association
Kuo Li-hsuan / Standing Supervisor, Taiwan Police Rights Promotion Association

Legislators
Lai Hsiang-ling / Legislator, Taiwan People's Party

Press Contact

Hsiao I-min, Office Director, Judicial Reform Foundation