Court Observation | The Unfinished Su Case: The Verdict

The case of Su Chien-ho, Liu Bing-lang, and Chuang Lin-xun is a renowned wrongful death penalty case. In 1991, without any direct evidence proving the three were involved in the murder of the Wu couple in Hsichih Town, Taipei County, Su Chien-ho, Liu Bing-lang, and Chuang Lin-xun were convicted by a final tier-three judgment on February 4, 1995, each sentenced to two death penalties and lifelong deprivation of civil rights. Fortunately, on May 18, 2000, the High Court ruled to commence a retrial, which went through the Supreme Court remanding the retrial case to the High Court for retrials three times. On August 31, 2012, after the third retrial remand, the three were finally acquitted. From the age of 18 to 39, they spent 21 long years proving their innocence.

However, what many people do not know is that the criminal incidental civil action for damages filed by the victims' family in 1992 continued to be heard by the civil court after the criminal case was finalized. Both the first and second instance courts held that Su Chien-ho and the other two were not liable for damages. Nevertheless, the Supreme Court still remanded the case back to the High Court on August 26, 2020. To this day, over 33 years after the incident, the case still cannot be concluded. Su Chien-ho and the others continue to fight for their innocence within the judicial system.

Finally, after nearly four years of trial, the Civil Division of the High Court will deliver its verdict on November 1 (postponed due to a typhoon). This judgment concerns not only the reputation and dignity of Su Chien-ho and the others, but more importantly, the fairness and credibility of Taiwan's judiciary. We sincerely invite everyone to enter the courtroom with us to witness this long path to exoneration.

Online Registration

Time

Friday, November 1, 2024, at 4:00 PM

Location

Civil Courtroom No. 1, Taiwan High Court (No. 233, Sec. 1, Kueiyang St., Zhongzheng Dist., Taipei City)

Further Reading

• 4/15 Court Observation | The Unfinished Su Case: Summoning Review Expert Professor Li Jiun-yi Regarding Henry Lee's Crime Scene Reconstruction and Appraisal Report
• Op-Ed | 27 Years Later, Witnessing Snow in June Once Again: Is the Su Chien-ho Three Death Row Inmates Case Endless?
• Report | Taiwan's Most Tortuous Death Row Wrongful Case! After 21 Years of 'Living Death' He Finally Cleared His Name and Dedicated 16 Years to Public Welfare, Only to Be Struck Hard Again by a New Piece of Paper Containing a Judgment