Hsu Tzu-chiang Case

Hsu Tzu-chiang was convicted and sentenced to death seven times and to life imprisonment twice for allegedly being involved in a kidnapping and extortion case. The courts based their guilty verdicts primarily on the confessions of his co-defendants. However, these co-defendants' confessions not only contradicted one another, but each individual's statements were also inconsistent over time. Can evidence like this truly justify a guilty verdict?

Left only with co-defendants who "pointed the finger at him," Hsu Tzu-chiang, who was innocent and trusted the justice system, decided to face the charges head-on. Little did he know that what awaited him was an endless path of injustice.

"For over a decade, I always wanted to hug my mother."

Reflecting on his life "inside," Hsu Tzu-chiang said this.

Sixteen years on death row, twenty years of litigation, and a persistent injustice every step of the way—boundless despair was once what awaited Hsu Tzu-chiang. We still do not understand what it takes for the judicial system to admit its mistakes. Yet, on the road to justice, with every additional person who stands up, perhaps we can walk one less mile of wrongful suffering.

Learn about the Hsu Case

26Feb.
2026

Sidelights | The "Wrongful Conviction" and "Relief" of Wrongful Conviction Classmates: When Su Chien-he Met Hsu Tzu-chiang | 2026 International Book Exhibition Lecture

Yeh Wen-chi / Volunteer for the Su Chien-he Case

As we waited to enter the book exhibition, it suddenly started to rain, giving the sensation of someone's life changing…

08Oct.
2024

Review | "Not Guilty" - All Eight Episodes

Ch'en Wei-ch'iao (Attorney, Executive Committee Member of the Taiwan Judicial Reform Foundation, Rule of Law Education Committee Member of the Taipei Bar Association, Adjunct Lecturer in Legal Studies at the Air Force Institute of Technology)

"Not Guilty" is Taiwan's first Taiwanese-language legal drama. It is based on the harrowing wrongful conviction of the…

19Sep.
2024

Sidelights | From Death Row to Acquittal and Exoneration: Reintegrating into Society

Text by Chiang Ping-chou / Department of Political Science, Soochow University; Photography by Cheng Wei-yin / Department of Sociology, National Taiwan University

A Lifelong Practice | The third lecture in the Wrongful Conviction Series was held at the Taiwan Innocent Prisoners'…

18Sep.
2024

Review | "Innocence" Episode 4

Att'y Ch'en Wei-ch'iao / Executive Member of the Judicial Reform Foundation, Member of the Rule of Law Education Committee of the Taipei Bar Association, Adjunct Lecturer in Introduction to Law at the Air Force Institute of Technology

The plot of Episode 4 primarily focuses on the retrial proceedings of the sixth remand (The Taiwan High Court's 94th…

10Sep.
2024

Sidelights | The Screenwriter's Journey for the TV Series Innocence: Bringing Wrongful Conviction Issues to the Screen

Hung Tzu-ya / Department of Social Work, Tunghai University & JRF Intern

Can you imagine being forced to stay in prison for 16 consecutive years, with 4 of those years confined to a room…

06Sep.
2024

Sidelights | The Years of Rescuing the Ch'en Tzu-ch'iang Case: A Transformation from Age 26 to 47

Yang T'ing-chen / Department of Law, Providence University, JRF Intern

People wore 'I am Ch'en Tzu-ch'iang +1' T-shirts and walked from Chinan Road to the court. The reason the Ch'en…

04Sep.
2024

Review | "Innocence" Episode 5

Liao Szu-min / JRF Volunteer

Although I promised the JRF to write a review, I must honestly admit I hadn't watched the first three episodes until…

23Aug.
2024

Review | "Innocence" Episode 3

Lü Shao-wei ｜ Attorney-at-Law, Member of the Standing Executive Committee of the Judicial Reform Foundation

The following review contains spoilers for practical purposes. It is recommended to watch Episode 3 before reading this…

03Jul.
2023

Ch'iu Ho-shun Wore 2-Kilogram Shackles for 18 Years—An Interview with Hsu Tzu-chiang on Leg Irons

Text by Ashley (Intern at JRF), Proofread by Chia-chen (Deputy CEO, Taiwan Alliance to End the Death Penalty), Yu-hsiang (Research Fellow, Taiwan Alliance to End the Death Penalty)

Anyone sentenced to death was required to wear leg irons. The very first thing one learned from cellmates after being…

03Jul.
2023

A 1.368-Pyeong Death Row Cell: An Interview with Ch'en Tzu-chiang on the Crafting Details

Text by Ashley (JRF Intern); Proofread by Chia-chen (Deputy CEO, TAEDP), Yu-hsiang (Research Specialist, TAEDP)

Most inmates in prison rely on financial support from friends and family. Those without money to buy daily necessities…

24Oct.
2017

May There Never Be Another "Hsu Tzu-chiang"

Text by Lin Shu-yü, Photos by Ch'en Ta-chün

A-chiang and the JRF's efforts toward judicial reform and wrongful conviction rescue will never stop. Today, standing…

12Aug.
2017

Retaining the True Heroes Among Judges

Hsiao I-min / Director, Judicial Reform Foundation Complaint Center

When Judge Chiang Kuo-hua was trying the retrial case of the three death-row prisoners Su Chien-ho, Wang Wen-hsiao, and…