Joint Statement by the Pro Bono Legal Team and Rescue Team: Regarding Apple Daily's April 1 Report on Death Row Inmate Ho-Shun Chiou Being Accused of Sexual Assault
Last edited: 2026-08-27
In response to Apple Daily's April 1 report on death row inmate Ho-Shun Chiou being accused of sexual assault, the pro bono legal team and rescue team for the Ho-Shun Chiou case jointly issued a three-point statement as follows:
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The Apple Daily report cited only one-sided statements, making it difficult to qualify as balanced reporting. As the two cases mentioned have entered the investigation procedure and are being investigated by prosecutors, the legal team and rescue team respect the investigation and will not comment on the content of the report for the time being. However, we have indeed received several letters from Ho-Shun Chiou recently mentioning concerns about his personal safety within the detention center. Therefore, the truth of the matter certainly awaits detailed clarification by the prosecutor. Nevertheless, regarding the concerns about personal safety mentioned in Ho-Shun Chiou's letters, out of respect and trust in the detention center's management, the JRF and the rescue team did not forward them to the institution, which also shows that there was no such thing as putting pressure as claimed in the report.
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As Ho-Shun Chiou is already 62 years old and has been detained and imprisoned for over 34 years, suffering from chronic diseases such as heart failure, hypotension, pulmonary infiltration, and hepatitis C, his health is deeply concerning. Therefore, in addition to miscarriage-of-justice rescue and advocacy campaigns, the legal team and rescue team also subsidize medical expenses and basic living costs, providing humanitarian care regarding his physical and mental well-being.
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The legal team and rescue team believe that Ho-Shun Chiou is indeed innocent regarding the Lu Chengand Ko Hung Yu-Lan cases for which he was sentenced to death, and will not give up on rescuing him. We call on society to continue paying attention to this judicial miscarriage of justice urgently awaiting rescue.
Press Contact
Attorney Po-Hsiang Yu, Spokesperson for the Ho-Shun Chiou Case Pro Bono Legal Team
This article is an AI-generated translation of the original Chinese text. In the event of any discrepancy, the Chinese version shall prevail.