扁案司法鬧劇 國外媒體注意But Taiwanese are mute

Relative to the shock and disgust felt outside of Taiwan about the incredibly illegal proceedings in KMT's persecution of 陳水扁 and his family and friends, Taiwanese are amazingly mute. In regards to the extreme unethical and unprofessional conducts of 台北地檢署檢察官,

In a celebration of the 63rd Law Day (司法節), ... Taipei District Prosecutor Office arranged a show on the stage to humiliate the accused, the former President Chen Shui-bian, who is still under THEIR OWN ongoing investigations.

Taiwanese reactions are inappropriate for civilized people:

• None of the prosecutors had been disciplined
• Not only that, Justice Minister Wang openly defended the act as clean fun
  
• Judges, prosecutors and lawyers being entertained during the infamous event have been silent, making me wonder how they have the courage and sense of justice to defend citizens' rights.

Taiwanese should reflect on why it is foreigners who are fighting for their justice.

I.

扁案牽動政治神經

林楠森 BBC中文部特約記者 陳致中和妻子對家族洗錢案表示有罪 台灣司法機關本周就前總統陳水扁被指控的一系列案件開庭審判，台灣政府雖反覆表示這僅是司法案件，但形勢的發展，也持續引起政治面的臆測與關注。 台北地方法院這個星期的密集開庭，審判的案件包括檢方對陳水扁及其家人的貪污，收賄，洗錢等指控，檢察官在一起政府單位收 購民間土地的案件中，以"借勢借端勒索"等多項罪名起訴陳水扁。對於被冠上這種一般用於起訴地痞流氓的罪名，陳水扁在法庭上說這是對他的羞辱，令他死不瞑 目。 而數日後在法院另外針對陳水扁家人的洗錢審判庭上，陳水扁的兒子夫婦則當庭認罪，表示對未認清"處理金錢"與"洗錢"界線感到後悔。 作為陳水扁家族海外賬戶受益人的陳致中夫婦，除了就洗錢案認罪外，並表示將會把海外的資金匯到司法機關指定賬戶，未來不會動用到這筆金錢。 相對於他的家人仍然保持自由之身，陳水扁則持續被關押。台北地方法院此前是以另外指派法官的方法，推翻原審法官的裁定，將陳水扁二度收押﹔這種不尋常的作法引起了政治力介入，與執政的國民黨對陳水扁進行政治報復的臆測。 有美國學者提出馬英九類似尼克松以司法手段對付政敵的質疑，台灣政府除了由新聞局出面否認外，總統馬英九本周在接受台灣一家電視台專訪時，也再度撇清他絕對沒有介入此案。 馬英九說他絕對不會干預司法，也不會干涉任何案件，對於陳水扁的審判他甚至連進度都不願意打聽。 "鬧劇氣氛" 馬英九此前已多次作過類似的表示，再度表態可能與他在美國哈佛大學求學時的教授孔傑榮（Jerome Cohen）一段公開喊話有關，他說希望馬英九不要讓此案成為鬧劇，並應阻止令人越來越感到不安的鬧劇氣氛。 孔傑榮此言是因為台灣司法人員在司法節的晚會上，由檢察官模仿陳水扁遭收押時高舉手銬喊冤來諷刺陳水扁，在場觀看表演的包括法務部長以及法官與檢察官，從司法界觀眾哄堂大笑的反應來看，這樣的演出達到了娛樂台下司法人員效果。 但是這樣的表演在孔傑榮眼中並不好笑，他以"令人無法想像"來描述司法人員的作法，他並認為這種現象好像是有人想要拋棄台灣過去十五年所有的進步。 孔傑榮在約三十年前於哈佛大學與馬英九相識後，兩人持續保持良好關係，在馬英九擔任總統後他於去年與馬英九會面，此前他也曾在台灣總統競選期間，就馬是否在哈佛擔任國民黨特務學生為馬提出辯護。 但針對台灣政府對陳水扁相關案件的處理，孔傑榮認為馬英九迎合國民黨內的極端派， 並說馬迎合右派保守勢力的作法，與剛卸任的美國總統布什類似。 這起案子是否能受到公平審判，除了受到美國學者的關切外，也受到剛離任的英國駐台代表麥瑞裡（Michael Reilly）的關心。 麥瑞裡在離任的記者會上說，司法公正與無罪推定應適用於包括陳水扁在內的所有人，他並對台灣未經法庭審判可以關押被告的程序表示關切。 對於陳水扁持續被關押一事，麥瑞裡說他不是選邊站，但是台灣人民應該問自己的問題是：陳水扁是否應在未受審情況下被關押？陳水扁是否真的會逃離台灣？ 未來發展 陳致中在法庭上認罪後，在法庭外就其家族的洗錢案向台灣公眾鞠躬道歉時說，他為這起事件造成社會付出很大代價與政治上的對立，以及綠營支持者難過傷心而致歉。 就如陳致中所說，這起對執政八年的前總統審判，在很多面向上引起了台灣社會上的對立氣氛。 對於痛恨陳水扁的一派來說，他們認為陳水扁一切待遇都有罪有應得並應受更嚴厲對待， 一些對輿論有引導作用的"名嘴"與國民黨立委，並且例常性的在台灣媒體上對陳水扁提出各種指控。 對於支持陳水扁的一派來說，陳水扁的遭遇讓他們懷疑，國民黨過去對反對者司法鎮壓與媒體抹黑的作法再度復活。 相關情勢的發展除了在台灣內部受到高度關注，也受到了一些國際組織的密切觀察。 美國的"自由之家"此前表示，他們將密切注意未來一年對陳水扁的審判案件，"自由之家"並認為對台灣來說，未來的一年將會是關鍵性的一年。 II. Published on Taipei Times http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2009/01/24/2003434533 US-based Taiwan experts add names to open letter By William Lowther STAFF REPORTER, WASHINGTON Saturday, Jan 24, 2009, Page 3 Two important Taiwan experts based in Washington have added their names to the open letter published in the Taipei Times earlier this week expressing concern about what they see as an erosion of justice in Taiwan. The new signatories are former deputy assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Randall Schriver and George Washington University academic Michael Yahuda. In the original letter a group of international academics and writers urged President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) to order an independent inquiry into the way police squashed protests during the visit of Chinese envoy Chen Yunlin (陳雲林). The letter said: “The establishment of a scrupulously neutral commission is essential if there is to be a fair and objective conclusion on the disturbances that occurred during the Chen Yunlin visit.” Freedom House, Amnesty International and US professor Jerome Cohen have also strongly recommended an independent inquiry. At the same time, the group has expressed concern about the legal proceedings in the case of former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and political pressure from KMT members of the Legislative Yuan that preceded a switch from a three-judge panel that had released the former president on his own cognizance to a court that subsequently detained him again. The letter said there had been a “widespread pattern of leaks to the media regarding ongoing cases — leaks, which because of their content and nature can only have come from the prosecutors’ offices.” It mentioned a recent skit in which some prosecutors involved in Chen’s case poked fun at the former president. “This pattern of behavior displays a distinct bias in the judicial system and a disregard for fair and impartial processes,” it said. It concluded by again urging Ma “to ensure that your government and its judiciary and parliamentary institutions safeguard the full democracy, human rights and freedom of expression.” In an article published this week in its Taiwan Communique, the Washington-based Formosan Association for Public Affairs said the last few months had seen a further erosion of human rights and democracy in Taiwan. It said the downward slide started in mid-October with the arrest and detention of former and present officials of the Democratic Progressive Party administration and worsened with aggressive police behavior during the Chen Yunlin visit in early November. “Both developments were reminiscent of Taiwan’s police state under the Kuomintang’s [KMT] martial law, which lasted from 1947 until 1987,” the article said. It quoted Cohen, who was Ma’s law professor at Harvard, as saying that the recent court proceedings against Chen Shui-bian “mocked the promise” of fairness. “At what point does the presumption of innocence become meaningless and the pre-conviction detention morph into punishment for a crime not finally proved?” Cohen asked.