Six and a Half Years Since the March 24 Executive Yuan Violent Clearance, No One Held Accountable for State Violence ~ Statement on the First-Instance Judgment in the March 24 Private Prosecution Against Ma Ying-jeou, Chiang Yi-huah, Wang Cho-chun, and Fang Yang-ning

At 9:30 a.m. today (the 15th), the Criminal Division of the Taipei District Court delivered its judgment in the private prosecution against Ma Ying-jeou, Chiang Yi-huah, Wang Cho-chun, and Fang Yang-ning over the March 24 violent clearance of the Executive Yuan, acquitting all four defendants. The pro bono legal team once again expresses its disappointment and regret at the judgment.

Six and a half years have passed since the March 24 violent clearance of the Executive Yuan. Whether by bringing private prosecutions, seeking State compensation, filing complaints with the Control Yuan, or asking city councilors to question officials, citizens and civil society organizations have attempted various channels to actively urge police and judicial authorities to help pursue accountability. To this day, not a single police officer who committed violence against the public that night has faced administrative punishment or criminal prosecution, nor has any police commander been held responsible.

Defendant Fang Yang-ning in this case was the precinct commander that night and held on-site command authority. Fully aware that the citizens were staging a peaceful sit-in, he nevertheless turned a blind eye to the violent actions of the police officers in order to accomplish the task of clearing the site. Defendant Wang Cho-chun, the then-Director-General of the National Police Agency, sat at the NPA command center yet simply shifted all responsibility onto the on-site commander. Defendant Chiang Yi-huah, the then-Premier, brazenly claimed that he had already gone to sleep when the violence occurred, while Defendant Ma Ying-jeou, the then-President, made statements during the trial proceedings asserting that the operation of constitutional organs is more important than the personal safety of citizens. The meticulous division of labor and protracted procedures of the bureaucratic hierarchy diluted individuals' sense of responsibility for exercising their own judgment, giving rise to state violence, yet not a single person has expressed remorse for the violence of that night.

After being dismissed on procedural grounds twice, this case finally proceeded to trial on the merits last August. Yet the judgment offered nothing new; Taiwan's judiciary has once again chosen to allow those in power within the police command chain to hide behind bureaucracy and shirk their responsibilities, leaving the legal team deeply disappointed. The legal team will study and discuss a possible appeal with our clients, and we will not give up on pursuing the truth and accountability for that night.

Appendix

Oral Argument Presentation Slides for This Case

1. Part I: Attorney Chang Ching-ju Explains the Course of Unlawful Violence
2. Part II: Attorney Liu Chi-wei Traces the Chain of Command Behind the Violence That Night
3. Part III: Attorney Kuo Hao-jen Explains Fang Yang-ning's Responsibility in the Chain of Command
4. Part IV: Attorney Yu Po-hsiang Explains the Legal Evaluation of the Defendants' Conduct and Why All Four Defendants Are Liable as Perpetrators Behind the Perpetrators

Press Contact

Attorney Lee Ming-ju, Staff Attorney, Judicial Reform Foundation