Taiwanese human rights advocate Lee Ming-che (李明哲), who has been detained in China since March, is to stand trial soon, his wife, Lee Ching-yu (李凈瑜), said yesterday, adding that she is traveling to China to see him.
“I must see my husband, and I cannot wait to see him,” Lee Ching-yu said.
She said she would apply for a new Taiwanese compatriot permit today after receiving a call yesterday from a man named Zhang Zhongwei (張忠偉), who said he was the court-appointed lawyer for her husband.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
Lee Ming-che has been held incommunicado since entering China from Macau on March 19 on what his wife says was a mission to share Taiwan’s experience with democratization.
Beijing arbitrarily canceled Lee Ching-yu’s Taiwanese compatriot permit in April, forcing her to cancel a trip to China with Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) officials, to try to see her husband.
Lee Ching-yu said that Zhang had told her to begin applying for travel documents because her husband is to stand trial in the Intermediate People’s Court in Yueyang City, Hunan Province.
Zhang did not say when the trial would start, but promised to notify her when a date has been set.
She said she has not decided whether to ask SEF officials to accompany her again, but called on Taiwanese lawyers to join her.
Taiwan Association for Human Rights secretary-general Chiu Ee-ling (邱伊翎) said that the Mainland Affairs Council yesterday called to offer its assistance.
Beijing’s refusal to abide by the terms of the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement (海峽兩岸共同打擊犯罪及司法互助協議) and directly contact Taipei over the case has been a major point of contention.
Lee Ching-yu said that she did not ask Zhang for proof of identity, but added that he appeared to be a Chinese Communist Party branch secretary and had represented Yueyang at the 7th National People’s Congress.
It is important that Lee Ching-yu be accompanied by Taiwanese lawyers, because there is a danger that Chinese authorities could use her to pressure her husband to confess, Judicial Reform Foundation executive secretary Hsiao Yi-ming (蕭逸民) said.
“If he had confessed, there should be a public video at this point,” Hsiao said.
“Lee Ming-che has already disappeared — we do not want Lee Ching-yu to be next,” he said.
Chinese human rights lawyer Jiang Xianyong (江天勇), whose sentencing was broadcast last month over social media, appears to have confessed after his father disappeared, he said.
The Judicial Reform Foundation will send representatives to accompany Lee Ching-yu, he said, calling on the Chinese government to allow them to be present for the trial, that all evidence against Lee Ming-che be presented openly and for him to have the opportunity to rebut accusations.
Lee Ming-che may be the first Taiwanese to stand trial on charges of attempting to overthrow the Chinese government, which carries a potential life sentence, Hsiao said, adding that the Chinese government’s failure to contact his immediate family members after his arrest violated China’s own laws.
“China’s intention is clearly aimed at disrupting our plans to take the case to the UN,” Chiu said, referring to Lee Ching-yu’s scheduled appearance next week before the UN Human Rights Council’s Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances.
Lee Ching-yu said that she was unsure if she would be able to attend the UN hearing.
Chiu said her group and Covent Watch would send representatives to the hearing to assist in presenting evidence if they are barred from using their Republic of China (ROC) passports.
The Presidential Office said it was the government’s duty to protect Lee Ming-che’s safety and ensure his return under the condition that national dignity is maintained.
Lee Ming-che is an ROC citizen and it is the government’s duty to protect him, Presidential Office spokesman Sidney Lin (林鶴明) said.
The Mainland Affairs Council will provide necessary assistance, Lin said.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College