Dr. Hong, his wife, and his dizi did an enormous work to denounce the injustice of the Tai Ji Men case. Only an international coalition can lead to its solution.
by Willy Fautré*
*Conclusions of at the conference “Remembering Shimu’s Fight: Conscience and the Tai Ji Men Case,” Pasadena, California, April 5, 2024.
An article already published in Bitter Winter on April 18th, 2024.
Exceptionally today, in memory of Madam Yu’s disappearance, our seminar has included three sessions to remember how much she inspired several generations of dizi, how much she contributed throughout her life to spreading a message of peace and love all around herself and in all the countries that she visited. Through her example, she enriched the universal consciousness with her inner light, and her spiritual legacy will stand the test of time.
Exceptionally, we have come from a wide range of countries to express here today our full and unanimous support to Tai Ji Men and to share our thoughts about how to solve their case. We, friends of Taiwan, represent NGOs specialized in freedom of religion or belief and academic research centers in the field of religion and spirituality.
For years, we have been united to highlight in the public space Dr. Hong’s and Madam Yu’s activities on behalf of world peace and inter-cultural dialogue, which have won praise by several international organizations, including the United Nations, and governments, and reflect positively on the global image of Taiwan.
In the pursuit of justice in the Tai Men’s case, there are few things more devastating than false accusations. When an individual or a group abiding by strict ethical rules is wrongly and persistently accused of a breach of the law and subjected to any form of injustice, it not only affects the victim, but it also erodes the credibility of the state institution that is responsible for such an ignominy.
In such critical moments, the unity and collaboration of various actors such as NGOs and legal experts play a pivotal role in rectifying denial of justice.
My few words of conclusion of today’s webinar will focus on the significance of unity in defending cases of miscarriage of justice.
What is miscarriage of justice? What constitutes a miscarriage of justice? Simply said, it occurs when someone is convicted or punished for a crime he or she has not committed or when the legal process is subverted in some way. Miscarriage of justice can stem from various factors including flawed investigations, false testimonies, systemic biases, judicial errors, or non-implementation of court decisions. The Tai Ji Men case qualifies for all these criteria.
Individually, each of us here could be not successful in combating administrative harassment, discrimination, and wrongful convictions.
After over two decades of peaceful but obstinate fighting in courts and on streets for their right to justice, Tai Ji Men reached the limits of what it could do alone in Taiwan when they met Massimo Introvigne. With his international expertise and advocacy network, he gave a new impetus to Tai Ji Men’s combat for justice.
Only the collective power of an international coalition of human rights organizations and official institutions, independent experts, scholars, and think tanks can open the way to a solution.
With the assistance of Tai Ji Men’s lawyers, we have all together joined our forces to get transparency in their case, which was never easy, because miscarriages of justice often occur in the shadows, away from public scrutiny. Fighting these shadows, we have brought to light the Tai Ji Men case through advocacy, research, and media outreach.
By raising awareness, we have ensured that victims receive the attention and support that was needed to seek justice.
Fighting denial of justice requires significant resources, including legal expertise, funding, and logistical support.
The various NGOs that participate in today’s webinar have tried to pool their diverse resources and networks to build up a robust defense. Collaborative efforts enable access to specialized knowledge and skills, essential for navigating complex advocacy channels in American and European institutions defending human rights.
By collaborating all together, we have combined our expertise to scrutinize evidence, or so-called evidence, to debunk it, to identify inconsistencies and to challenge wrongful convictions.
Our objective is also to advocate for systemic reforms to avoid conflict of interests and corruption in Taiwan’s National Taxation Bureau, to hereby prevent future miscarriages of justice. To this end, by analyzing patterns, identifying flaws, and proposing policy changes, we can contribute to the enhancement of legal frameworks and the promotion of fair and equitable practices of the National Taxation Bureau not only for Tai Ji Men but also for the whole Taiwanese civil society.
Dr Hong, we thank you for giving us the privilege to share with all of us the fight for a noble cause that you and Madam Yu have carried on your shoulders throughout your life.
United we have been for years, united we are now, and united we will remain in the future until a fair and meaningful solution of the Tai Ji Men case is found.