Following the recent Tainan police-killing incident, why the 38 death-row inmates have not yet been executed has once again become a trending topic.

Wang Hsin-fu, currently one of the 38 death-row inmates, was determined by the judiciary to be an instigator in Taiwan's first police-killing case. However, missing physical evidence, erroneous police interrogation records, the lack of cross-examination, and other issues are all suspicious points of this case. The judiciary ignored the presumption of innocence and directly sentenced Ah-fu to death with finality. Ah-fu has also endured 11 years of psychological torment under the constant threat of state execution, reflecting the hastiness of the judiciary.

Aside from Ah-fu's case, among the death-row inmates sentenced by the state in the past, there is no shortage of wrongful and mistaken cases—such as Su Chien-ho, Wu-hsiang Hsu, and Cheng Hsing-tse, who fortunately escaped the state's guns, as well as Chiang Kuo-ching and Lu Cheng, who lost their lives beneath state firearms. These innocent individuals were finalized by the court as death-row inmates, suddenly becoming heinous criminals, and their families became pariahs reviled by all. These are all manifestations of a flawed judiciary. The judicial justice procedure of exercising caution so as not to punish the innocent has thus far remained an illusory utopia...... Since the judiciary cannot achieve the prevention of wrongful executions, let us solve the problem from its root: abolish the death penalty!

This lecture invites Liang Tsu-ying, Executive Secretary of the Taiwan Alliance to End the Death Penalty, to share insights, and uses a group discussion format to allow everyone to discuss and debate why the death penalty should be abolished? Why speak up for bad people? What about the victims? If the death penalty is abolished, won't bad people roam the streets? Are there alternative punishments and supporting measures?

Liang Tsu-ying Executive Secretary, Taiwan Alliance to End the Death Penalty

• Time: 12/3 Saturday 15:00-17:00
• Location: Bo'ai Campus, University of Taipei ｜ Student Activity Center B1, Qínpú Building

Concluded, Go to Live Stream Video

In 1988, Ch'en Ho-shun and others were accused of committing the Ke Hung Yu-lan dismemberment case and the Lu Cheng schoolchild kidnapping and ransom-murder case. After being detained in correctional facilities for about 23 years, they were sentenced to death with finality in 2011. To this day, he remains locked in the Taipei Detention Center, facing the possibility of execution at any time.

Ch'en's case was entirely based on confessions to sentence him to death, with no other evidence proving that he committed the aforementioned two crimes. Among these confessions, some were written under torture inflicted on Ch'en Ho-shun and others, while others were contradictory confessions from other defendants. Yet, judges still sentenced Ch'en Ho-shun to death based on these flawed confessions.

Furthermore, key physical evidence in the dismemberment case was lost, and evidentiary data indicated that the true perpetrator was someone else; in the kidnapping-murder case, fingerprints of an unidentified person were collected on key evidence, Ch'en Ho-shun had an alibi, and voiceprint analysis could not determine authenticity. These are the reasons why Ch'en's case is a miscarriage of justice.

This lecture will be presented by the "Volunteer Legal Team for the Ch'en Ho-shun Case" to detail the various suspicious points of the case. We look forward to everyone coming together to pay attention to and rescue the Ch'en Ho-shun case!

Over twelve thousand days of pitch-black prison life, from youth to old age, the judiciary has squandered Ch'en Ho-shun's prime years......
 

Chang Ch'ih Former Deputy Director, Advocacy Department, Judicial Reform Foundation

Li Yi-chuan Attorney, Volunteer Legal Team for the Ch'en Ho-shun Case

• Time: 12/4 Sunday 15:00-17:00
• Location: Bo'ai Campus, University of Taipei ｜ Student Activity Center B1, Qínpú Building

Concluded, Go to Live Stream Video

"The Trial of Wang Hsin-fu" is adapted from a true story, faithfully presenting the trial process of a death-penalty finalized case. It immerses the audience as if they were right there in the courtroom, observing the clashes and defenses between the prosecution and defense while prompting personal reflection. ​
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The film stars many amateur actors; for example, Chang Hui-ching, Cheng Hsing-tse, and Chuang Lin-xun—who have prior experience as defendants—play judges; Wu-hsiang Hsu—who was once sentenced to death and later exonerated—plays the defendant Wang Hsin-fu; attorney Huang Chih-hao plays a lawyer; and Ma Shih-fang, who has no connection to the legal field, plays the prosecutor. This forms interesting echoes and contrasts both inside and outside of the drama. ​
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Although "The Trial of Wang Hsin-fu" is a court drama transcending eras, it still fully portrays the true appearance of many courtrooms today. Through the interaction process among judges, prosecutors, and defense attorneys in court, it concretely and concisely allows the audience to deeply understand the flaws and deficiencies in the trial process of this case within just one hour. ​
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"Wronging a bad person is no big deal, right?" This question deserves reflection by every lay judge who has the opportunity to participate in trials.

Lo Li-han Advocacy Specialist, Taiwan Alliance to End the Death Penalty

O'ol Kao Fu-hsuan Senior Advocacy Specialist, Amnesty International Taiwan

• Time: 12/7 Wednesday 18:30-20:30
• Location: Bo'ai Campus, University of Taipei ｜ Student Activity Center B1, Qínpú Building

Concluded, Go to Live Stream Video

The famous miscarriage of justice cases of Su Chien-ho and Wu-hsiang Hsu demonstrate that problems existed in our country's criminal cases from police interrogation to court trial. Every procedure designed to pursue social justice became an accomplice to the state's indiscriminate killing of the innocent.

In 1991, 19-year-old Su Chien-ho was accused of committing the murders of Wu Ming-han and Yeh Ying-lan. He was sentenced to death with finality in 1995 and did not receive an acquittal until 2003, taking 21 years to clear his name.

In 1995, Wu-hsiang Hsu was accused of committing the Huang Chun-shu kidnapping and ransom-murder case. He was sentenced to death with finality in 2000 and his acquittal was finalized in 2016, taking 22 years to escape the hands of the state.

During the days of detention and imprisonment,
they bid farewell to death-row cellmates,
they lived in fear of being executed the next second,
their families endured ridicule, anger, and scolding from outsiders......
Upon release from prison,
they faced a sense of loss and disconnection arising from an unfamiliar world......
These are all tragedies caused by the state's arbitrary police questioning, investigation, and sentencing.

Taking off their prison uniforms and hoisting banners to defend human rights, Su Chien-ho and Wu-hsiang Hsu once walked through the rain of Taiwan's judicial system. They want to hold up an umbrella for those in similar situations, and even stop the rain in Taiwan's judicial system so that no one's life is rendered colorless due to judicial injustice......

We sincerely invite everyone to come and understand the plight of death-row inmates in wrongful and mistaken cases, and we also invite you to hold up an umbrella for the victims of miscarriages of justice alongside Lao Su and A-chiang!

Su Chien-ho Exonerated Victim of Miscarriage of Justice

Wu-hsiang Hsu Exonerated Victim of Miscarriage of Justice

• Time: 12/10 Saturday 15:30-17:00
• Location: Bo'ai Campus, University of Taipei ｜ Student Activity Center B1, Qínpú Building

Concluded, Go to Live Stream Video