Premier Chen Chien-jen (???) on Saturday unveiled a plaque for a foundation established to provide restitution to the victims of political persecution during Taiwan’s authoritarian era and their families.
The establishment of the foundation, which aims to restore victims’ rights infringed by illegal acts of state during the period of authoritarian rule in Taiwan, “marked a milestone” in Taiwan’s long road to deliver transitional justice, Chen said.
From now on, it was the government’s obligation to provide “reparation,” as opposed to “compensation,” to the victims and their families, the premier said at a plaque-unveiling ceremony.
The foundation was formed based on the Act to Restore Victim’s Rights Infringed by Illegal Acts of the State During the Period of Authoritarian Rule adopted by the Legislature in May 2022, an update to the previous acts, which characterized redress for the victims and their families as “compensation.”
Chen said that the foundation would implement “comprehensive” reparations programs to provide an indemnity to the victims and their families for deaths at the hands of the state, as well as infringement on personal freedom, assets and reputation.
The Executive Yuan also plans to incorporate lessons from transitional justice processes into educational curricula with the aim of internalizing the values of human rights in the minds of every citizen so that the concept of transitional justice will be able to take root in society, Chen said.
Since the foundation’s establishment, it has received more than 480 applications for reparations as of Saturday, said Yu Po-hsiang (???), chairman of the foundation.
According to Yu, the foundation expects to finish reviewing the first application by the end of this month, when the nation commemorates the 76th anniversary of the 228 Incident, a nationwide crackdown by the then-Kuomintang (KMT) government against civilian demonstrators following the arrest of a cigarette vendor in Taipei on Feb. 27, 1947.
Under the 2022 legislation, the maximum payment to the families of political prisoners killed between Aug. 15, 1945 and Nov. 6, 1992 is NT$12 million (US$395,000) — twice the amount specified in the previous acts.
In his address, Chin Him-san (???), a Malaysian-Taiwanese who was studying in Taiwan and jailed for 12 years during the 1970s, called on the government to uncover the truth behind all political prosecution cases and ascertain the responsibility of perpetrators.
“I was thinking of the passing of many friends who were with us fighting for transitional justice and I felt very sad,” said the 73-year-old Chin.
Martial law was in force in Taiwan for 38 years between 1949 and 1987 following the 228 Incident, with Article 100 of the Criminal Code, which codified the punishment of dissidents, in effect until May 1992. Martial law on Kinmen and Matsu was not lifted until November that year.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel