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

14Nov.
2014

When Injustice Takes Shape

Kao Jung-chih / Executive Director, Judicial Reform Foundation

When I was young and did well in school, I would be made class monitor, acting as a good student in the eyes of the…

03Jun.
2004

Urgent Petition to Save Hsu Tzu-chiang ~ Do Not Let Hasty Justice Take an Innocent Life!

Judicial Reform Foundation

President Ch'en Shui-bian, Judicial Yuan President Weng Yüeh-sheng, and Ministry of Justice Minister Ch'en Ting-nan…

25Oct.
2003

Self-help? Right to resistance? Privilege?

Kao Yung-ch'eng / Executive Committee Member and Attorney at Law, Judicial Reform Foundation

Scholars in the United States have once conducted research showing that the miscarriage of justice rate in the U.S.…

17Oct.
2003

An Evaluation of the Judgment in Ch'en Tzu-ch'iang's Case

Taiwan Association for Human Rights, Ho Lai-chieh (Associate Professor, College of Law, National Taiwan University), Huang Chao-yi (Professor, College of Law, Soochow University), Li Mao-sheng (Professor, College of Law, National Taiwan University)

This case concerns a kidnapping and extortion incident that occurred in September 1995. The kidnapped construction…

01Oct.
2003

Constitutional Interpretation Petition for Hsuch Tzu-chiang - The Constitutionality of Accomplice Confessions Mutually Corroborating One Another

Yu Po-hsiang / Attorney

On October 1, 2003, the very day the newly appointed Grand Justices assumed office, JRF attorneys Lin Yung-sung, Chen…

15Dec.
2002

What on Earth Did Hsu TZU-ch'iang Do Wrong? A Summary of Doubts in the Case

Case Tracking Team

15Apr.
2002

The Abyss of Justice: Reflections on the Dismissal of the First Extraordinary Appeal in the Capital Case of Ch'en Tzu-ch'iang

Ch'en Chien-hung / Pro Bono Defense Counsel for Ch'en Tzu-ch'iang

Amidst bustling political news and colorful social news, the March 22, 2002 edition of the United Daily News quietly…

29Mar.
2002

A Judicial Tragedy

Wang Shih-szu / Executive Director, Judicial Reform Foundation

Nearly two years ago, in this very column, I wrote a true story about a young man named Hsü Tzu-ch'iang who turned…

27Mar.
2002

The Abyss of Justice: Reflections on the Supreme Court's Dismissal of the Extraordinary Appeal in the Hsuch Tzu-chiang Death Penalty Case

Ch'en Chien-hung / Defense Counsel for Hsuch Tzu-chiang

Amidst the bustling political news and colorful social reports, the March 22, 2002 edition of the United Daily News…

24Mar.
2002

Is Judicial Authority More Important, or Human Life?

Yu Po-hsiang / Executive Committee Member of the Taiwan Association for Human Rights, Attorney- wait, correction: You Po-hsiang / Executive Committee Member of JRF, Attorney- wait: Yu Po-hsiang / Executive Committee Member of JRF, Attorney-at-Law

In the death penalty case of Hsu Tzu-chiang—which previously prompted the Prosecutor-General to file an extraordinary…

17May.
2000

Issues Analysis of the Ch'en Tzu-ch'iang Case

Attorneys Ch'en Chien-hung