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Hungs voice concern
over documents
FREE FOR NOW: Hung Tzu-yung said military
prosecutors and lawyers plan to file a second appeal today against a decision to
release four suspects in her brother’s death
By Rich Chang and Mo Yan-chih / Staff reporters
Hung Tzu-yung yesterday calls on
President Ma Ying-jeou to announce changes to the amended Code of Court Martial
Procedure as soon as possible.
Photo: Ou Su-mei, Taipei Times
The family of army corporal Hung Chung-chiu
(洪仲丘) yesterday complained that military courts had not allowed their attorneys
to review documents relating to the indictment of 18 military personnel over
Hung’s death.
Military prosecutors on Aug. 2 indicted 18 officers and non-commissioned
officers. The defendants were brought to the North Military District Court and
the High Military Court respectively.
Hung’s sister, Hung Tzu-yung (洪慈庸), said yesterday that the attorneys have been
unable to review documents military prosecutors delivered to the military courts
along with the indictment.
“The military courts said military judges review the documents first, but it’s
been more than 10 days since the indictment, and if the attorneys cannot review
the documents, they do not know how to proceed during a trial,” she said.
“According to the attorneys, the military courts only have to make a copy of the
documents for attorneys to review,” she said. “The lawyers said that in civilian
courts, attorneys could normally review indictment documents the day after the
indictment.”
While the case is soon to be transferred to the civilian judiciary after an
amendment to the Code of Court Martial Procedure (軍事審判法) was passed in the
legislature on Tuesday, Hung Tzu-yung said her family hope the amendment takes
effect as soon as possible.
She added that both military prosecutors and the lawyers plan to file a second
appeal today against the military courts’ decision to release four key
defendants.
The High Military Court last week maintained its decision to release the former
deputy commander of the 542nd Brigade, Colonel Ho Chiang-chung (何江忠); company
commander Major Hsu Shin-cheng (徐信正) and Staff Sergeant Fan Tso-hsien (范佐憲) on
bail.
Staff Sergeant Chen Yi-hsun (陳毅勳) was also set free by the North Military
District Court last week.
After consecutive days of drill exercises in a military detention facility, Hung
died from heatstroke and multiple organ failure in hospital on July 4, just
three days before he was due to be discharged from his compulsory military
service.
Meanwhile, the Presidential Office said yesterday that President Ma Ying-jeou
(馬英九) would handle the amendments to the code in accordance with constitutional
procedures once they are sent to the Presidential Office.
Hung Tzu-yung urged the president to formally announce the amendments before he
left for a 12-day trip to Latin America and the Caribbean yesterday and to allow
the Taoyuan District Prosecutors Office and district court to take over the
case.
Presidential Office spokesperson Lee Chia-fei (李佳霏) said the amendment was still
in the legislature prior to being sent to the Presidential Office.
“President Ma will handle the amendment as soon as possible after the
Presidential Office receives it,” she said at Taiwan Taoyuan International
Airport.
Ma is due to return to Taiwan on Aug. 22.
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