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Association starts
petition to indict military officials
By Rich Chang / Staff reporter
A judicial reform association said yesterday that an online petition asking the
judicial authority to indict the former military officials responsible for the
wrongful execution of airman Chiang Kuo-ching (¦¿°ê¼y) has collected over 8,200
signatures, including that of former Democratic Progressive Party chairperson
Tsai Ing-wen (½²^¤å).
The Judicial Reform Association said it hoped the petition would reach 10,100
signatures by Oct. 10 ¡X Chiang¡¦s birthday.
According to the association, the military has decided former minister of
national defense Chen Chao-min (³¯»F±Ó) and five other military officials were
responsible for the wrongful execution of Chiang 15 years ago, but the Taipei
District Court Prosecutors¡¦ Office ruled Chen and others had not broken any
criminal law in the case. After the Taiwan High Court Prosecutors¡¦ Office
ordered the district court prosecutors¡¦ office to re-open an investigation, the
district court prosecutors¡¦ office came to the same conclusion again.
The association said it has represented Chiang¡¦s mother, Wang Tsai-lien (¤ý±m½¬),
in a bid to appeal the non-indictment decision with the Taiwan High Court
Prosecutors¡¦ Office. Meanwhile, it launched the online petition to garner public
support, it added.
The association said public figures such as CEO of the Humanistic Education
Foundation Feng Chiao-lan (¶¾³ìÄõ), Garden of Hope Foundation chief executive Chi
Hui-jung (¬ö´f®e) and cultural critic Chang Tieh-chih (±iÅK§Ó) have signed and
endorsed the appeal that justice can not be served unless the former military
officials shoulder their due responsibility.
Chiang was convicted of raping and killing a five-year-old girl at Air Force
Combat Command in Taipei in 1996 and was executed a year later at the age of 21.
In September last year, his conviction and execution were determined to have
rested on a coerced confession, with at least six officials found to have
tortured him.
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