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Dear Friends,

I wish to call your attention to the attached statement, which I have co-signed with a number of prominent academics, lawyers and civic leaders, regarding the issue of former President Chen Shui-bian’s detention.

A fair and independent judiciary is a crucial element of a strong democratic system, and public confidence in the impartiality of the judiciary is essential to strengthening its capacity. Unfortunately, instead of growing public confidence in the government’s efforts to prosecute official corruption, abuses of the system, as outlined in the attached statement, are eroding public credibility in judicial institutions.

As leader of the political party that has championed democratic reforms in Taiwan for nearly three decades, it pains me to see that the Taiwanese people are losing confidence in the political impartiality of the judiciary, and that fundamental human rights and the integrity of Taiwan’s former president are vulnerable to abuses of the law. Although the attached statement is focused on the case of President Chen, his case is not an isolated one. I am also concerned that many more defendants have been subjected to similar treatment. I am further worried that this prolonged and unjustified incarceration of President Chen during the investigation period and trial is sewing the seeds of long-term public unrest and division.

We are appealing, therefore, for President Chen’s human rights to be respected by the Judiciary and for his immediate release.

As friends of Taiwan and observers of developments in Taiwan, you must be aware that since former President Chen’s arrest and incarceration incommunicado on November 12 last year, he has been detained for more than two hundred days. The signatories and I believe that his continued detention is unjustified and in violation of President Chen’s basic rights.

For reasons highlighted in the statement, the impartiality of the judicial system is in doubt, and we believe that former President Chen is being deprived of the right to a fair trial. Furthermore, violations in the confidentiality of the investigation, and the selective leaking of unverified information regarding the specifics of the case to politicians and the press, further indicate a failure of law enforcement institutions to protect the rights of the defendant during the trial process.

I have repeatedly urged the government to take seriously the responsibility of protecting the fundamental rights of the defendant, and to refrain from any political interference in the judicial process that insults the integrity and basic rights of our former President. The fairness of President Chen’s trial will be indicative of Taiwan’s democratic progress, and the Taiwanese people will not tolerate growing abuses in the system.

I also urge our international friends, especially those of you who have stood with us in the past through the more difficult years of fighting for democracy and freedom in Taiwan, to continue to stand with us as we demand a fair and just legal system.

Sincerely,

Tsai Ing-wen

Chairperson

Democratic Progressive Party

敬愛的朋友：

謹在此請您參考我與一群包含學者、律師以及社會賢達所連署，有關陳前總統被延押的聲明。

公平、獨立的司法是堅定民主機制的重要元素；而公眾對司法公正的信心，正是司法力量的來源。然而，政府不但沒有努力建立公眾對檢肅貪污的信心，反而一再地破壞體制。在所附的這份聲明中，也將這些損害司法公信力的作為，一一列出。

身為引領台灣近三十年民主改革政黨的黨主席，看到台灣人民對司法的政治公平性失去信心，在法律的迫害下，台灣的前任總統連基本人權以及尊嚴也顯得脆弱，令人痛心。雖然這份聲明在於強調陳前總統的司法案件，但他絕非特例。在此也同時關心許多面臨類似處境的被告；我更擔心的是，在調查期間對陳前總統不當且冗長的羈押及審問，將為社會播下長期不安及分裂的種子。

因此，我們呼籲，司法必須尊重陳前總統的人權；我們也要求，立即釋放陳前總統。

身為台灣的朋友，以及台灣發展的觀察者，您也一定發現，自從陳前總統於去年十一月十二日被捕、收押禁見之後，至今他已被監禁超過200天。參與這項聲明的所有連署人和我都相信，對陳前總統的延押，是不公正的，同時也傷害了他的基本權利。

聲明中也列舉了包括對司法體制公平性的質疑，我們認為陳前總統接受公平審判的權利被剝奪。尤有甚者，調查不公開的原則遭到破壞，而選擇性洩露未經證實之訊息予特定政客及媒體，使得執法單位根本無法在審判期間保護被告的權益。

我已多次要求政府，必須負起保護被告人基本權益的責任，不得以政治干預司法程序，以免侵害陳前總統的尊嚴以及基本人權。對陳前總統的公平審判將會是台灣民主進步的象徵，而台灣人民絕不容許這個體制中的迫害加劇。

我也請國際間的朋友們，特別是曾與我們一起度過那艱難歲月，共同為台灣民主自由奮鬥的朋友們，繼續和我們在同一陣線上，追求建立公平正義的司法系統。

Sincerely,

Tsai Ing-wen

Chairperson

Democratic Progressive Party