The Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) today called on its supporters to protest the Taipei District Court’s “politically motivated” ruling last night to keep former party chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) in detention after the High Court again revoked the district court’s bail decision on Wednesday.
TPP Acting Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) said that the party is calling on supporters nationwide to assemble at Taipei’s Freedom Square at 2pm on Jan. 11, Judicial Day, to call for Ko’s release and an independent judiciary process.
Huang accused the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) of “green authoritarianism” and said that the party is undermining Taiwan’s judicial freedoms by using the court as a political tool.
Photo: Tien Yu-hua, Taipei Times
The court’s rulings are contradictory, the prosecutors are biased, and the judge faced political pressure to keep Ko and his codefendants detained, Huang said, accusing the DPP of acting similarly to the Chinese Communist Party’s Red Guards in China’s Cultural Revolution.
Judicial independence is the cornerstone of a democratic society and it is equal for everyone, regardless of politics, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) said in a news conference this morning.
The TPP has a double standard when judging the court process, only being in favor of it when they like the outcome, Wu added.
When the court originally ruled in favor of bail, the TPP officials thanked the judge, but now that it has been revoked, the same officials are seeking to undermine the ruling, he said.
The TPP should have the same approach as the DPP and allow the courts to work independently, free of political pressure, Wu added.
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) today called for a free and independent judicial process in response to the court’s ruling.
The KMT position remains that justice must be fair and honest, KMT spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) said.
The court’s decision to revoke bail given the lack of explanation provided to the public undermines citizens’ trust in the judicial process, Yang said.
The case against Ko could have wider ramifications in the future, KMT Legislator Lee Yen-hsiu (李彥秀) said, adding that it could prevent future collaboration between the DPP and TPP in the future.
Given the support for Ko and the TPP, the DPP should remain concerned about the political impact of the case, Lee added.
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