Walking Together on the Path of Wrongful Conviction Relief | Leaving the Abyss: On the Path of Wrongful Conviction Relief | Opening Press Conference

At 2:00 PM on March 1, 2024, the Taichung Office of the Judicial Reform Foundation held the opening press conference for the special exhibition "Leaving the Abyss: On the Path of Wrongful Conviction Relief" (Address: 2F, No. 845, Sec. 2, Taiwan Blvd., Xitun Dist., Taichung City).

The Judicial Reform Foundation has been established for nearly 30 years, and wrongful conviction relief has always been one of our primary and most core missions. This special exhibition, "Leaving the Abyss: On the Path of Wrongful Conviction Relief," is organized by the Judicial Reform Foundation, with the Taichung Bar Association, Changhua Bar Association, and Nantou Bar Association as co-organizers. The exhibition runs from March 1 to November 30, 2024.

"Leaving the Abyss" is our blessing to the innocent: "Leave the abyss of wrongful convictions and regain innocence and happiness as soon as possible."

Through this special exhibition and its series of events, we hope to allow the general public to witness the true plight of the innocent, focus on the systemic difficulties facing unvindicated cases, and navigate the unfinished business of judicial reform and institutional change behind wrongful conviction rescue.
At the opening press conference, Attorney Lin Chih-chung, Convenor of the Wrongful Conviction Relief Specialized Group at the JRF Taichung Office, mentioned in his remarks: "Since its founding, the JRF has never interrupted its work on wrongful conviction relief. The two staff members present today, Su Chien-ho and Hsu Tzu-chiang, are two of the innocent individuals we invested massive efforts into successfully rescuing. We are holding 'Leaving the Abyss: On the Path of Wrongful Conviction Relief' today to present the suffering of the innocent before the public, because we hope to invite everyone to care about wrongful conviction relief, so that our collective gaze and warm hearts can help us understand and support the innocent, giving them the strength to persevere until the end and achieve exoneration."

Attorney Lin Chun-hung, Standing Director of the JRF and Convenor of the Wrongful Conviction Relief Specialized Group at the Taipei Office, also noted: "While assisting innocent individuals with their cases, the JRF also addresses the systemic judicial issues behind them—such as amendments to the Code of Criminal Procedure, the establishment of the CCRC (Editor's note: Korean-style/independent Criminal Cases Review Commission), and the establishment of a forensic science committee. Through legislative advocacy, we hope to prevent identical cases from repeating. We hope that through this exhibition, the judiciary can become one free of wrongful convictions, a judiciary that everyone can trust."

Wrongful convictions have never been mere stories on the news or in the media; they are people and events surrounding us that we cannot walk away from or let go of. Attorney Su Jo-lung, President of the Taichung Bar Association; Attorney Chen Ju-mei, Secretary-General of the Changhua Bar Association; and Attorney Yang Po-jen, President of the Nantou Bar Association—representatives of the co-organizers—stated in their remarks: "Wrongful conviction relief has always been extremely difficult. Many times, a case seems close to successful exoneration, only to still be turned away by the courts. If judges can empathize with people's situations during the trial process, making the judicial process friendly and the result correct, perhaps the public will be able to trust the judiciary."

Not only is exonerating wrongful convictions difficult, but post-conviction criminal compensation and even civil litigation incidental to criminal proceedings make the path to reintegration for the innocent arduous. Su Chien-ho's criminal compensation was docked due to the attributable fault clause; even though the law was amended last year, it could not retroactively compensate those who had been docked. Moreover, Su Chien-ho, whose criminal innocence was finalized as early as August 2012, still had his civil lawsuit incidental to criminal proceedings remanded by the Supreme Court in 2020, and was asked to continue proving he suffered torture and to fight for his innocence. Even so, Su Chien-ho continues to use his life to inspire new lawyers and volunteers joining the path of rescue. At the end of the press conference, Su Chien-ho was invited to write the characters for "Leaving the Abyss" live on site, offering his blessings to other innocent people still struggling forward on the path of wrongful conviction relief.

"Leaving the Abyss: On the Path of Wrongful Conviction Relief" is the sixth exhibition held by the JRF Taichung Office since 2021. The JRF will continue to cooperate with professionals from different fields in the future, hoping to combine arts exhibitions with related thematic lecture series to create a judicial oasis for students and citizens in central Taiwan to engage with justice and human rights issues. All sectors are welcome to book a visit.

▍Book a Visit
▍Exhibition Trailer
▍Opening Press Conference

[Time] 2:00 PM, March 1, 2024

[Location] 2F, JRF Taichung Office (2F, No. 845, Sec. 2, Taiwan Blvd., Xitun Dist., Taichung City)

[List of Speakers]

• Attorney Lin Chih-chung, Standing Member of the Executive Committee of the JRF, Convenor of the Taichung Office Wrongful Conviction Relief Specialized Group
• Attorney Lin Chun-hung, Standing Director of the JRF, Convenor of the Taipei Office Wrongful Conviction Relief Specialized Group
• Attorney Su Jo-lung, President of the Taichung Bar Association
• Attorney Chen Ju-mei, Secretary-General of the Changhua Bar Association
• Attorney Yang Po-jen, President of the Nantou Bar Association

[Contact Person]
Chang Hua-che, Legal Specialist, JRF Taichung Office (04)2329-2372 #13