A total of 1,505 people who were unjustly convicted during the authoritarian era were yesterday exonerated in a traditional Atayal ritual attended by Vice President Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁).
Of the people exonerated, 27 were Aborigines who were unjustly tried in the aftermath of the 228 Incident or during the White Terror era, Chen said at the event held in New Taipei City’s Jingmei Human Rights Memorial and Cultural Park.
Many of them were very young when they were convicted and some were executed, he said, adding that it was deeply humiliating and traumatic for the victims and their families.
Photo: Chen Yu-fu, Taipei Times
Although many of the exonerated people have passed away, the government still has to ensure that the guilty verdicts from the unjust trials are revoked, Chen said.
Taiwan should be a nation of justice and integrity, and the government must tackle the history of injustice head-on, he added.
The event coincided with the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, making it even more significant, Chen said.
Photo: Huang Yao-cheng, Taipei Times
Promoting transitional justice demands not only exonerating the victims of political persecution, but also restoring historical truth clarifying responsibilities and promoting human rights education, he said.
To realize transitional justice, the government has established the Transitional Justice Commission, passed the Act on Promoting Transitional Justice (促進轉型正義條例) and built human rights museums, Chen said, adding that it would also clarify responsibilities for human rights violations.
Taiwan must learn from its past and improve its human rights record, as well as laws and education, he said, adding that he hopes Taiwan can become “a beacon of human rights in Asia.”
A Sbalay ritual was held at the event, with Atayal Watan Tanaga singing a traditional song in the Atayal language and blessing the attendants.
The ritual could be understood as the pursuit of truth, which is similar to the government’s goal of achieving transitional justice, the commission said.
Reconciliation cannot be achieved by offering a one-time apology, but rather requires a process of sophisticated negotiations and meaningful dialogue, it added.
Novelist Yang Kui (楊逵), best known for his work The Newspaper Man (新聞配達夫) — which was first written in Japanese — was among the people exonerated.
Yang was imprisoned for 12 years for publishing “The Declaration of Peace” in 1949, in which he called for freedom of speech and urged the government to release political prisoners.
Although Yang passed away in 1985 at the age of 79, his granddaughter, acting commission chairperson Yang Tsui (楊翠), said that his exoneration means a lot to her family, especially her parents.
They can “now make peace with themselves,” Yang Tsui said, adding that Yang Kui’s five children, some of whom are in their 80s, have been haunted by their experiences during the White Terror era.
The commission, established in May, on Oct. 5 exonerated 1,207 people who had been unjustly convicted.
Over the next four months, the commission is to exonerate about 10,000 more victims of political persecution.
Additional reporting by CNA
DEATH THREAT: A MAC official said that it has urged Beijing to avoid creating barriers that would impede exchanges across the Strait, but it continues to do so People should avoid unnecessary travel to China after Beijing issued 22 guidelines allowing its courts to try in absentia and sentence to death “Taiwan independence separatists,” the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday as it raised its travel alert for China, including Hong Kong and Macau, to “orange.” The guidelines published last week “severely threaten the personal safety of Taiwanese traveling to China, Hong Kong and Macau,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) told a news conference in Taipei. “Following a comprehensive assessment, the government considers it necessary to elevate the travel alert to orange from yellow,” Liang said. Beijing has
Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) yesterday said that the Chinese Communist Party was planning and implementing “major” reforms, ahead of a political conclave that is expected to put economic recovery high on the agenda. Chinese policymakers have struggled to reignite growth since late 2022, when restrictions put in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic were lifted. The world’s second-largest economy is beset by a debt crisis in the property sector, persistently low consumption and high unemployment among young people. Policymakers “are planning and implementing major measures to further deepen reform in a comprehensive manner,” Xi said in a speech at the Great Hall
CIVIL DEFENSE: More reservists in alternative service would help establish a sound civil defense system for use in wartime and during natural disasters, Kuma Academy’s CEO said While a total of 120,000 reservists are expected to be called up for alternative reserve drills this year, compared with the 6,505 drilled last year, the number has been revised to 58,000 due to a postponed training date, Deputy Minster of the Interior Ma Shih-yuan (馬士元) said. In principle, the ministry still aims to call up 120,000 reservists for alternative reserve drills next year, he said, but the actual number would not be decided later until after this year’s evaluation. The increase follows a Legislative Yuan request that the Ministry of the Interior address low recruitment rates, which it made while reviewing
DETERRENCE: Along with US$500 million in military aid and up to US$2 billion in loans and loan guarantees, the bill would allocate US$400 million to countering PRC influence The US House of Representatives on Friday approved an appropriations bill for fiscal year 2025 that includes US$500 million in military aid for Taiwan. The legislation, which authorizes funding for the US Department of State, US foreign operations and related programs for next year, passed 212-200 in the Republican-led House. The bill stipulates that the US would provide no less than US$500 million in foreign military financing for Taiwan to enhance deterrence across the Taiwan Strait, and offer Taipei up to US$2 billion in loans and loan guarantees for the same purpose. The funding would be made available under the US’ Foreign Military