Thirty Years Ago, How Did Judicial Reformers Keep Up with the News?

Statement: With the Performance System Still Unreformed, Police Violence Is Not an Isolated Case — Second-Instance Verdict in the Sanchong Police Assault Case

In September 2022, two officers from the Sanchong Precinct in New Taipei City mistook a member of the public, Mr. Huang Lien-shun, for a wanted criminal. Without identifying themselves, they forcibly subdued him, and even after he was unable to resist, they continued to insult him, spray pepper spray, and beat him, causing serious injuries. Even after realizing their mistake, the police still handcuffed and detained Huang and filed an assault complaint against him. In 2024, the district court found the officer surnamed Weng guilty of causing injury under color of official duty and acquitted Huang; today the High Court’s second-instance ruling upheld this result. The case reveals systemic problems of police abuse of power and violent law enforcement. Unlawful policing is closely linked to unreasonable performance pressure, and unless the National Police Agency reviews the system and training, the public’s fear of the police cannot be dispelled. Supporting groups call for the establishment of a "police performance management committee" to prevent performance pressure from becoming a driver of unlawful abuse. Moreover, after wrongly identifying and arresting innocent people, police often use threats of assault and obstruction-of-duty charges to cover up their own errors, and Huang’s case is not an isolated one. JRF calls on prosecutors to handle such cases with care so that innocent members of the public are not harmed again, and stresses that police agencies must strengthen education and training, face up to the harm caused by wrongful arrests, and prevent such errors from recurring.

Sidelights: "Speaking Up for Disobedience — In-Investigation Defense and Civil Disobedience in Social Movements"

By Chen Ting-ju, JRF intern, Department of Law, Soochow University. Living in a free and democratic country, protests and social movements have always been ways for people to express their demands and fight for their rights, usually speaking out over policy, social problems, or injustice. Yet when protests and social movements involve means of civil disobedience — especially when participants seek to use civil disobedience as a strategy — participants may often become entangled in legal disputes. In such cases, what role can lawyers play? What is different about assisting these clients? And if you are a participant, what should you watch out for? In this piece, attorney Chen Hung-chi guides us through the practical points to note in cases of accompanying people during investigation in social movements, and discussant Professor Wei Pei-hsuan helps us understand how to speak up for "civil disobedience."

A Little Story Behind the Exhibits: How Did Judicial Reformers Keep Up with the News?

One of the exhibits in our 30th-anniversary special exhibition tells the story of how, thirty years ago, those doing judicial reform kept track of the news — through newspaper clippings. It offers a glimpse into the everyday working history of judicial reform before the digital age.

Upcoming Events in May

Here are some of our May events — everyone is welcome to sign up.

Taichung exhibition and talks. "Becoming an Ordinary Person: the JRF 30th Anniversary Special Exhibition in Taichung" opened on 3/7. Booking required; dates: Friday 7 March to Tuesday 17 June 2025; hours: Tue–Fri 13:30–20:00 and Sat 11:00–17:00; venue: JRF Taichung Office, 10F-2, No. 4-33, Sec. 1, Shuangshi Rd., East District, Taichung City.

Mending the Scars in the Mirror: Crime Victims’ Rights and Judicial Reform. Saturday 17 May 2025, 14:00–16:00, at the JRF Taichung Office — online or in person, with in-person capacity limited to 50 and a livestream link sent to those on the waiting list. Moderator: attorney Chen Yi-cheng, member of the Alliance for the Protection of Crime Victims’ Rights and director of the Chen Yi-cheng Law Firm. Speaker: Hsiao Yi-min, Deputy CEO of the Crime Victim Protection Association.

Courtroom observation recruitment — the "Taiwan’s Cambodia" state-compensation case, third preparatory hearing. Wednesday 25 June 2025, 10:30, at the Summary Division, Courtroom 1, Kaohsiung District Court, No. 188, Hedong Rd., Qianjin District, Kaohsiung City.

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