Taiwanese families of soldiers who suffered under the military justice system in the past are speaking out against President Lai Ching-te’s plan to reinstate military courts. The proposal, part of broader national security measures to counter Chinese espionage, has raised concerns over wrongful convictions and a lack of transparency. Military courts were abolished over a decade ago after public outcry, but the government insists the new system will ensure fairness and human rights protections. Families and advocacy groups are demanding the reinstatement of an appeal commission to prevent past injustices from recurring.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00It's been just over a week since Taiwan's president, Lai Ching-de, announced sweeping
00:05new measures to counter what he says are China's increasing attempts to annex Taiwan and to
00:10infiltrate the country. Among those, he's bringing back military courts to weed out
00:16military personnel spying for China, of which there are currently dozens of cases. But there's
00:21nervousness around courts like these. They were dismantled more than a decade ago amid
00:26public outcry over unjust verdicts, wrongful convictions and a lack of transparency.
00:38Now families who say they were let down by the military justice system in the past are
00:43speaking out.
00:56Taiwan's Ministry of National Defence have acknowledged this lack of public trust and
01:06this checkered past. They said this will be an entirely new system that observes legal
01:11procedures and protects human rights. But the pushback here demonstrates the challenges
01:17facing Taiwan as it looks to counter increasing pressure from China while also reassuring
01:22the public that it can protect their freedom and human rights.
01:26Alex Chen and Rick Loutt in Taipei for Taiwan Plus.