A total of 1,505 victims of political persecution were exonerated at a ceremony Dec. 9 at Jing-Mei White Terror Memorial Park in New Taipei City as part of government efforts to advance transitional justice by redressing judicial wrongs.
Held on the eve of Human Rights Day, the event was attended by Vice President Chen Chien-jen as well as some 250 surviving victims and family members. Chen cut barbed wire wrapped around a scroll of the names to signify the expunging of the criminal records, while a ceremonial song of the Atayal tribe was also performed in honor of the 27 indigenous people on the list.
According to Chen, as a nation of justice, compassion and love, Taiwan must look squarely at this chapter of its history and engage in sincere reflection to learn from past wrongdoings.
In addition to correcting these injustices, the government is committed to uncovering historical truths, promoting reconciliation, restoring trust, strengthening human rights education, and further ingraining justice and diversity in society, he said.
Progress in these areas will help build a brighter future for Taiwan based on the principles of democracy, freedom and the rule of law, and ensure the country continues to shine as a beacon of human rights in Asia, Chen added.
This was the second set of exonerations following the expunging of the criminal records of 1,270 victims of political persecution in October. The unjust convictions occurred after the end of 50 years of Japanese colonial rule Aug. 15, 1945, and prior to the lifting of martial law five years after Taiwan proper in outlying Kinmen and Matsu islands Nov. 7, 1992.
The ceremony at Jing-Mei was jointly organized by the Transitional Justice Commission and the National Human Rights Museum. Established in May under the Act on Promoting Transitional Justice, the commission is tasked with declassifying political archives, conducting investigations and delivering restitution to victims.
Inaugurated in May and administered by the Ministry of Culture, the NHRM is the nation’s primary facility for collecting and preserving historical documents and materials relating to human rights during the period from 1945 to 1992. In addition to Jing-Mei, the museum also manages Green Island White Terror Memorial Park in Taitung County, southeastern Taiwan. (KWS-E)
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