|
Prison stops Chen
Shui-bian from publishing article
By Vincent Y. Chao / Staff Reporter
Prison officials are preventing a magazine column written by former president
Chen Shui-bian (³¯¤ô«ó) from going to print, his son, Chen Chih-chung (³¯P¤¤), said
yesterday.
Greater Kaohsiung Councilor Chen Chih-chung said after visiting his father in
Taipei Prison yesterday that prison officials had requested the column be
revised a second time, after Chen Shui-bian complied with an earlier request.
As a result, it is unlikely that the article, for which the former president is
understood to have been paid close to NT$20,000, will make it into tomorrow¡¦s
edition of Next Magazine, he said.
Friends and allies of the former president said that the unusual move put Taipei
Prison officials in contravention of prison regulations and represented a step
backwards for freedom of expression.
Under the Prison Act (ºÊº»¦æ¦Dªk), prison officials are allowed to ask that parts of
correspondence that violate prison regulations be deleted before being mailed.
Although articles written by inmates to be published in newspapers and magazines
are legally protected, officials must first determine whether the subject is
appropriate and ensure it does not violate ¡§the discipline and reputation of the
prison.¡¨
Neither of these conditions apply to the 1,800-character column Chen Shui-bian
wrote, his son said, as the former president already made the requested changes
after being asked to do so on June 13.
¡§He followed the instructions given by prison officials and at first they said
it would be allowed, but then it was rejected a second time. Now we have no idea
when the article will be printed,¡¨ Chen Chih-chung said.
While refraining from naming specific topics covered, Chen Shui-bian¡¦s staffers
said the piece largely followed the tone of his bi-weekly statements and three
books authored from his prison cell. A fourth, Twenty-five Lessons Every
President Must Read, is due out soon.
¡§Asking prisoners to read books and write essays is the right thing to do,¡¨ said
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Tsai Huang-liang (½²·×·ã), a close
ally of the former president. ¡§As long as the piece doesn¡¦t talk about his own
case, or say that the prison system is unfair, there is no reason for it to be
rejected.¡¨
Speaking about Chen Shui-bian¡¦s column, Tsai said: ¡§It¡¦s a setback in terms of
human rights. Do prisoners really have to be ¡¥politically correct¡¦ before they
are allowed to write columns?¡¨
Prison officials said that the piece was rejected a second time because it would
have ¡§political ramifications and promote social division.¡¨
Taipei Prison administrator Su Kun-ming (Ĭ©[»Ê) said that the content of the
article failed to promote ¡§social stability¡¨ and undermined the reputation of
the prison.
¡§We decided to reject the piece to ensure Chen Shui-bian is able to peacefully
serve out his sentence,¡¨ Su told the Chinese-language Apple Daily, part of the
group that publishes Next Magazine.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chiu Yi (ªô¼Ý) said earlier that the
Ministry of Justice needed to better manage correspondence coming from Chen
Shui-bian in prison. The former president maintains a wide network of supporters
and allies, most of who are members of the DPP.
|
