Post-Event Press Release | Unidentifiable: Seven Years Since the March 24 Violent Dispersal at the Executive Yuan - Taichung Opening Press Conference
Last edited: 2026-08-30
At 1:00 p.m. today (September 25), the Judicial Reform Foundation held the opening press conference for the Taichung edition of the "Unidentifiable" exhibition.
"Unidentifiable" has two meanings.
First, the masked police officers who used violence on the night of March 24 have never been identified. Nor have the on-site commander, senior police officials, or executive officials behind the command chain for the dispersal. After seven years of litigation aimed at uncovering the historical truth, the perpetrators remain unidentifiable.
Second, the exhibition asks visitors to see the victims of state violence who spent seven years moving through the justice system. They may never become names recorded in history, yet they sustained the movement in person and even bore legal consequences for doing so. In the historical record, these people too can become "unidentifiable."
State Violence Is Still Close at Hand
JRF board member and attorney Lin Chih-Chung said in his opening remarks: "Through this exhibition, we hope to reflect on the principle that the state must not use violence against its people. We must also confront, review, and expose state violence and ensure that those responsible face the legal consequences they deserve. That is what a state governed by the rule of law should look like."
Pan Kuan, who personally participated in the events that night, said: "Seven years have passed, but many people's memories are still frozen on that night. Through this exhibition, we hope people will not forget that citizens in Taiwan once faced state violence-and that, even today, no senior police official has been held responsible."
Chen Mei-Hui, Director of the JRF Organization and Advocacy Department and a representative of the curatorial team, said with frustration: "On the night of the incident and afterward, many people voluntarily brought medical certificates, video footage, and photographs to the JRF because they wanted evidence preserved for accountability. Yet the outcome of the litigation still seems to tell us: the responsible person cannot be found."
Democracy and Freedom Cannot Be Taken for Granted
For younger junior- and senior-high-school students, events that many people personally experienced have already become lines in a textbook, and democracy and freedom can seem self-evident. Yet reports of excessive police force still appear on the streets from time to time.
Attorney Wang Yen invoked Haruki Murakami's famous image of the wall and the egg, saying that even if Taiwan sees itself as a democratic country governed by the rule of law, state violence remains close at hand. Hsu Yuan-Ya, a director of the Haomin Cultural Action Association, added: "Seven years ago, many people believed Taiwan already had a sound democratic system. It was not until the night of March 24 that they realized that, without oversight, the power people entrust to the state can become state violence at any time."
"Through this exhibition, we hope more people in central Taiwan will understand that democracy and freedom did not simply appear on their own. Many people struggled in different ways to build the Taiwan we have today," said Chen Yen-Han, Secretary-General of the Taiwan GDi Association. "Unidentifiable: Seven Years Since the March 24 Violent Dispersal at the Executive Yuan" seeks to preserve that history through an exhibition. It includes learning-portfolio worksheets for high-school group visits and will gradually offer in-person events and online lectures on topics ranging from law and policing to Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Myanmar. We invite everyone to visit, remember those who courageously took to the streets to protect Taiwan's democracy, and offer a measure of gentleness and comfort to everyone who has carried this history.
✹ Exhibition Dates
September 23, 2021 (Thu.)-November 27, 2021 (Sat.)
✹ Hours
Tuesday-Friday, 13:30-20:00
Saturday, 11:00-17:00; closed Sundays and Mondays
Closed for the National Day long weekend, October 9-11
✹ Location
Judicial Reform Foundation Taichung Office
✹ Online Reservation Required
➤ Exhibition reservations: https://www.jrf.org.tw/articles/2118
Following the lowering of Taiwan's COVID-19 alert level and the corresponding relaxation of restrictions, the exhibition uses online reservations to manage visitor flow and total capacity and to maintain appropriate social distancing. No waitlist or walk-in registration is available.
➤ Lecture series: https://www.jrf.org.tw/articles/2049
✹ Co-organizers
Match Café
Humanistic Education Foundation, Taichung Office
Taiwan Association for Human Rights
Taiwan Youth Association for Democracy
Association of Taiwanese Professors
Taiwan Forever Association
Haomin Cultural Action Association
Good Warmth Taiwan Youth Foundation
Action San-Jian-Hua
Plain Law Movement
Taiwan GDi Association
✹ Contact
Hsieh Chia-Chen, Advocacy Specialist, JRF Taichung Office - (04) 2329-2372 ext. 11
This article is an AI-generated translation of the original Chinese text. In the event of any discrepancy, the Chinese version shall prevail.