TAIWAN: Tai Ji Men: 30th year of denial of justice in a case of freedom of belief violation
An event co-organized by CESNUR & Human Rights Without Frontiers. Follow LIVE on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/live/OAYPmv5oW7o (14:00-16:00 Brussels Time/ 21:00-23:00 Taipeu Time)
Speakers
Massimo Introvigne
Human Rights Day: Tai Ji Men and the Poetry of Resilience
Mark Nemes
Tai Ji Men Sacred Lands: The Significance of Miaoli in Light of the Tai Ji Men Case
Hans Noot
Tai Ji Men: From Acquittal to Confiscation
Willy Fautré
Discriminatory Taxation of Religious Movements as a Form of Persecution
Marco Respinti
Conclusions
The speeches can be obtained through Human Rights Without Frontiers: international.secretariat.brussels@hrwf.org
Some dates from the full chronology of the case
1996 (June-December): In the wake of the presidential elections, KMT Justice Minister Liao Zheng-Hao (1946–2022) carried out a purge against the religious movements that had not supported Lee, including Fo Guang Shan. Leaders were arrested and accused of fraud and tax evasion (although most of them eventually were found not guilty by the courts), and temples and spiritual centers were closed. Tai Ji Men had not taken any political stance but was also accused of not having supported the KMT candidate.
1996 (December 19): Within the framework of the political crackdown on religious and spiritual movements, Prosecutor Hou Kuan-Jen (dubbed “the Rambo prosecutor” for his swift tactics) raided 19 Tai Ji Men academies and private homes of disciples (dizi). Subsequently, Dr. Hong, his wife, and two dizi were detained on charges of fraud and tax evasion.
1996 (December 23): All assets of Dr. Hong and his wife were frozen, including those unrelated to the activities of Tai Ji Men.
1996 (December 25): Prosecutor Hou promoted the establishment of a “victim’s association” for those allegedly defrauded by Tai Ji Men. It will later be revealed that some of the so-called “victims” in fact had never been part of Tai Ji Men, and the association was basically a fraud.
2007 (July 13): Taiwan’s Supreme Court confirmed that Dr. Hong and his co-defendants were innocent of all charges, including tax evasion.
2008–2009: Dr. Hong and his co-defendants received national compensation for the wrongful imprisonment they had suffered in 1996–97.
The tax administration ignored this decision and went on prosecuting Tai Ji Men…
See the full chronology HERE
