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Taiwan's Human Rights by world reports
    


pic.: No.1 "Taiwan human rights" on Yandex of Russia, 2024-9-19, 2024-3-17, 2024-2-1, 2023-12-14, 2023-8-30

 

pic. :  No. 1 "Taiwanese human rights"  on Yandex of Russia , 2024-9-19,2024-2-1, 2023-8-30; No.2 "Taiwanese human rights"  on Yandex, 2024-3-17, 2023-12-14

 

 

 2023 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices  - Taiwan , 2024-4-22  state.gov/reports/2023-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/taiwan/  :

n judges and prosecutors  Some political commentators and academics, however, publicly questioned the impartiality of judges and prosecutors involved in high profile, politically sensitive cases.

n elections  /  In the most recent presidential and legislative elections,  there were allegations of vote buying by candidates and supporters of both major political parties

n corruption  /  the mayor of Hsinchu was indicted by the Taipei District Prosecutors Office for suspected embezzlement .   During the year, 19 high-ranking officials, 41 mid-level, 114 low-level, and nine elected officials were indicted for corruption.

n sexual assaults  NGOs and academic studies estimated the total number of sexual assaults was seven to 10 times higher than the number reported to police. Some abused women chose not to report incidents to police due to social pressure not to disgrace their families.

n sexual harassment  Reports related to technology-facilitated gender-based violence continued to rise, five times higher than the same period in 2022Sexual harassment was common. The Ministry reported a 17 percent increase over the previous year...  high-profile sexual harassment cases involving prominent politicians, cultural figures, and others.  Several high-ranking members of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party resigned in connection with sexual harassment cases.

n rights of strike  Large enterprises frequently made it difficult for employees to organize an enterprise union; they used methods such as blacklisting union organizers from promotion or relocating them to other divisions. These methods were most common in the technology sector. The right to strike remained highly restricted. Teachers, civil servants, and defense industry employees did not have the right to strike. Workers in industries such as utilities, hospital services, and telecommunication service providers were allowed to strike only if they maintained basic services during the strike. Authorities could prohibit, limit, or break up a strike during a disaster. Workers were allowed to strike only in “adjustment” disputes such as compensation and working schedules, and only after mediation.

n  wage and overtime   Wage and overtime violations were most common in the manufacturing, domestic car, and fisheries sectors employing migrant laborers; however, white-collar workers also faced overtime violations. The most common violation was urging employees to accept extra leave time instead of overtime pay.  Employers were subject to civil but not criminal charges when their employees were involved in fatal accidents due to unsafe working conditions.

 

n sexual exploitation  NGOs reported sex offenders increasingly used cell phones, web cameras, live streaming, apps, and other technologies to deceive and coerce underage girls and boys into sexual activity. Although the amended Child and Youth Sexual Exploitation Prevention Act increased penalties, NGOs claimed additional manpower resources and funding were needed to effectively enforce the amended law. Online reporting of child sexual exploitation increased steadily in recent years, reflecting growing social rejection of the crime, according to expert reports.  There were reports of child sex trafficking.

n Women rights, discrimination  More than 60 percent of the respondents to a survey released in March by a media company on living conditions and expectations of Taiwanese women from 2020-2023 believed discrimination based on age, gender, race, and other factors, including bias against members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer community, still occurred in their workplaces. Approximately 94 percent of the women respondents specified that age differences with colleagues and prejudice towards single women were key factors adding to workplace discrimination. According to official statistics, the median monthly income for women in 2022 was 84.2 percent that of men.   The authorities to investigate living conditions for the LGBTQI+ community found that members continued to experience discrimination from their families, places of work, and peer groups.

n reporters  Defamation and public humiliation were criminal offenses.  Reporters faced the threat of legal action under the liberal libel laws.  The Constitutional Court upheld the constitutionality of the law.  On July 21, an opposition party presidential campaign chief filed a criminal libel lawsuit against the president of Sanlih E-television and two of its reporters for alleging that the presidential nominee met with officials of another opposition party to discuss teaming up for the 2024 presidential election.  Taiwan journalists reported difficulty publishing content critical of the People's Republic of China (PRC), alleging that PRC authorities pressured Taiwan businesses with operations in the PRC.

n indigenous rights  some Indigenous rights advocates argued a large amount of Indigenous land was seized and privatized decades ago, depriving Indigenous communities of the right to participate in the development of their traditional territories.

n child abuse  Advocates also called attention to bullying, violence, and sexual assault cases at correctional institutions

n mainland Chinese  The law allowed non-PRC-born foreign spouses of Taiwan passport holders to apply for Taiwan residency after three years, while PRC-born spouses were required to wait six years.

n foreign workers  Migrant fishermen on vessels operating outside Taiwan's territorial seas had a lower minimum wage.   Foreign workers were often reluctant to report employer abuses for fear the employer would terminate their contract. Workers also struggled with accessing the hotline while at sea.  Migrant fishermen were commonly subjected to mistreatment and poor working conditions. Fisheries Agency officers in six locations overseas and in some domestic ports monitored and inspected docked Taiwan-flagged fishing vessels, using a multilingual questionnaire to interview migrant fishermen and examine labor conditions onboard.

 

 

DW (Germany), 2024-4-24: Taiwan's long-awaited debate on the death penalty is considered a historic step that human rights groups believe will decide the future of capital punishment in Taiwan
 

Taiwan has breached its commitments  ─   Taiwan's death penalty "progress" in 10 years

till 2015  2024

<BBC> , <Amnesty International> UK , 2012-12-22

Amnesty International has condemned Taiwan's move as "cold-blooded killing".

The executions - by shooting - "made a mockery of the authorities' stated commitment to abolish the death penalty".  "It is abhorrent to justify taking someone's life because prisons are overcrowded or the public's alleged support for the death penalty".

 

<Amnesty International>) 、 <European Parliament> ,   Dec. 23, 2012Taiwan has breached its commitments: EU

 

London-based Amnesty International organization ), 2015-6-5: a failure of political leadership


France (2012-12-6) has condemned the execution of six death-row inmates by Taiwan

 

<BBC> (Chinese version),  4.30.2014, <Focus Taiwan>, 5.1.2014: ... human rights groups questioned Taiwan's execution this time with political purpose (shifts the focus on China's trade agreement, and nuclear factory issue).  

 

★  DW (Germany), 2024-4-24:

 

☉ tv.Guardian, DW video: Taiwan's claim to be a regional bastion of human rights is undermined by its retention of capital punishment, activists say.


co-executive director of the Death Penalty Project
"Taiwan has said for many years that they're on a road to abolition,"  "But my question is, is that road too long politically and that not enough progress has been made politically to move away from the death penalty?"


the issue is often being used by Taiwan gov. as "some kind of political maneuvering."

 

a majority of Taiwanese oppose the abolition of the death penalty

  dw.com/en/taiwans-death-penalty-and-debate-over-constitutional-rights/a-68909105  Yuchen Li 

 

 

 

United Daily (聯合報, 2024-2-24):   Taiwan police repeatedly treated Taiwanese people by violence or brutality just like taking Taiwan back to  the medieval century, their violations of human rights and proportionality, similar to that in Chinese fishermen deaths event, were done without video recording.
For example, three policemen in PinTong (
屏東) tortured a person suspected of stealing by batons, and soon resulted in a death event.  Another case in TaoYuan (桃園), a teenager passing by police station was forcefully dragged into investigation room and was tortured by stun gun, etc, for more than one hour.  
Tsai Ing-wen in 70th anniversary of International Asso. Judges meeting stated that the pursuit of human rights is never ending, Taiwan is working tirelessly to achieve the highest international standards of judicial independence and human rights protections. However, to say a beautiful slogan is one thing to do is another.
Taiwan government fails in judicial reform !  brief udn.com/news/story/11091/7790040?from=udn-catehotnews_ch2

 

Taiwan's "Big Brother"

United Daily (聯合報), 2024-6-2: Lai Ching-te government has been monitoring the whole population by cell-phone signaling. udn.com/news/story/7338/8003898?from=udn-catehotnews_ch2

United Daily (聯合報), 2024-5-30:  Taiwan's parliament should make some achievements in preventing the abuse of power by state machine and the surveillance of people by political parties.  Don't disappoint the public.KMT :  It turns out that our country has been quietly performing "The Truman Show (1998)" and illegally grasping people's personal information.   王義川 eventually honestly spoke out the long-standing secret of the ruling party DPP - they secretly conducted "Green Terror" by using State apparatus in the past 8 years. WaterGate scandal;  It turns out that "Big Brother" has always been there.  The DPP has set Taiwan's democracy back 30 years.

United Daily (聯合報),2024-5-31:  柯文哲 (Ko W.J.), the chief of 民眾黨 party said this issue is "Restoration of secret police" (「警總復辟」).ˉ

 

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) , 2023-12-13: Taiwan is a country that suffers from one of the lowest trust rates in the media among democracies (28%) and where the media community is often criticised for disregarding journalism ethics... journalists suffer from a very polarised media environment dominated by sensationalism and the pursuit of profit at the expense of quality news reporting.

 China Times (中國時報) , 2024-3-12: The minister of National Defence defines "(China's) local cooperator" as whoever sending messages or words to our disadvantage and to the opposite side's advantage,  for our initial judgment (「任何訊息、言論對我不利,對對方有利,初步就認為是在地協力者」)Therefore, in the future, any criticism or opinion on the government may be put a "(China's)  cooperator" label on, which leads to chilling effect.  chinatimes.com/opinion/20240312004516-262101?chdtv

 United Daily (聯合報) , 2024-3-17 The minister of National Defense says the prosecution/police and investigation will eventually determine whether or not the suspect is a "local cooperator", which scares the public as long as the state apparatus getting involved and going through a long time legal process.  Only the good news rather than the bad is exactly what the ruler expect - a chilling effect.  (只要啟動檢調警國家機器,就足以收震懾威嚇之效;再經司法程序一路折騰,即使還其清白,也已被剥掉幾層皮。只准報喜不許唱憂,正是統治者要的寒蟬效應!) udn.com/news/story/7338/7836324?from=udn-catehotnews_ch2

#MeToo in Taiwan

CNN, 2023-6-10:  Taiwan, priding itself on gender equality, is facing its own reckoning over sexual harassment.   Most sexual harassment victims were told to "let it go" ... Such culture of self-sacrifice is deep rooted in Taiwan's political reality, where the "big picture" often comes above everything else.    edition.cnn.com/2023/06/10/asia/taiwan-metoo-netflix-wave-makers-intl-hnk/index.html
 

 The Guardian (UK), 2023-6-8: The belated #MeToo reckoning has exposed the deeply patriarchal norms that still govern Taiwanese society.   … victims in the dark and perpetrators enjoying impunity”. Prof Chen Mei-hua at National Sun Yat-sen University noted that while these accusations had played out in the court of public opinion, in formal legal proceedings they were unlikely to succeed. "...It is almost impossible for victims to win the lawsuit.”.    theguardian.com/world/2023/jun/08/taiwan-ruling-party-rocked-sexual-harassment-claims-metoo AmyHawk

 

  Washington Post, 2023-6-7: the government has until now been slow to respond to reported cases of sexual harassment.  msn.com/en-us/news/world/hit-netflix-show-sparks-a-wave-of-metoo-allegations-in-taiwan/ar-AA1cefPH    Vic Chiang, Meaghan Tobin     Bloomberg, 2023-6-7:  Tsai Ing-wen: "We've also seen such cases are everywhere...".

 

 The China Project (New York based), 2023-6-8: Until now, Taiwan has not seen a #MeToo movement similar to that in the United States, Europe, or even China.  Victim blaming is still prevalent in Taiwanese society, discouraging victims from coming forward. 70% to 80% of respondents who said they had experienced sexual harassment in the workplace chose to remain silent.   thechinaproject.com/2023/06/08/taiwans-ruling-dpp-rocked-by-sexual-misconduct-allegations/  Jordyn Haime


 SCMP, 2023-6-11:  
NTU prof.  Tso Chen-dong: the DPP has greatly disappointed the public as ... referring to the party's pledges to promote gender equality and human rights.  DPP had long focused on LGBTQ equality, rather than women's rights. scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3223609/wave-metoo-cases-threatens-engulf-taiwans-ruling-democratic-progressive-party   Lawance Chung

 Lawance Chung 

 

    US Country Reports on Human Rights Practices released at 2023-3-20 (state.gov/reports/2022-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/taiwan/):
 In 2020 presidential and legislative elections, there were allegations of vote buying by candidates and supporters of both major political parties.
 In the year to May, 21 high-ranking officials, 38 mid-level, 83 low-level, and 18 elected officials were indicted for corruption.
Defamation and public humiliation are criminal offenses.  Reporters faced the threat of legal action under the liberal libel laws.
Migrant fishermen reported abuses by senior crewmembers, including beatings, withholding of food and water, retention of identity documents, wage deductions, and noncontractual compulsory sharing of vessel operational costs. These abuses were particularly prevalent in Taiwan’s large distant-waters fishing fleet, which operated without adequate oversight. Foreign workers were often reluctant to report employer abuses for fear the employer would terminate their contract, subjecting them to possible deportation and leaving them unable to pay off debts to recruiters.Foreign workers generally faced exploitation and incurred significant debt burdens during the recruitment process due to excessive brokerage fees, guarantee deposits, and high charges for flights and accommodations. Brokerage agencies often required workers to take out loans for “training” and other fees at local branches of Taiwan banks in their home countries at high interest rates, leaving workers vulnerable to debt bondage. NGOs suggested authorities should seek further international cooperation with labor-exporting countries, particularly on oversight of transnational labor brokers.Foreign fishermen were commonly subjected to mistreatment and poor working conditions. Fishermen working on Taiwan-flagged vessels operating beyond Taiwan’s territorial waters (the distant-waters fishing fleet) were not afforded the same labor rights, wages, insurance, and pensions as those recruited to work within Taiwan’s territorial waters.

Employers are subject to civil but not criminal charges when their employees are involved in fatal accidents due to unsafe working conditions.  In 2021, 18.9 percent identified violations,  primarily in sectors including wholesale and retail, logistics and transportation, accommodation, and food services.
Employers, however, reportedly used tactics such as increasing the number of workers employed so the 50 percent threshold could not be met. Trade unions also reported the use of antiunion tactics to intimidate workers and activists. The right to strike remained highly restricted. Teachers, civil servants, and defense industry employees do not have the right to strike. Workers in industries such as utilities, hospital services, and telecommunication-service providers are allowed to strike only if they maintain basic services during the strike. Authorities may prohibit, limit, or break up a strike during a disaster.

 A rise in the number of reports of child sexual exploitation cases from 1,060 in 2018 to 1,879 in 2021. NGOs raised concerns about online sexual exploitation of children: they reported sex offenders increasingly used cell phones, web cameras, live streaming, apps, and other new technologies to deceive and coerce underage girls and boys into sexual activity. The NGOs called for increased prosecutions and heavier penalties. Reporting of child sexual exploitation online to the Ministry of Health and Welfare increased steadily in recent years
 Many survivors did not report rape for fear of social stigmatization, and NGOs and academic studies estimated the total number of sexual assaults was seven to 10 times higher than the number reported to police. Some abused women chose not to report incidents to police due to social pressure not to disgrace their families.  Number of cases of sexual harassment 41 percent increase over the previous year.
 Taiwan journalists reported difficulty publishing content critical of the PRC, alleging that PRC authorities had pressured Taiwan businesses with operations in the PRC...
 

★ US State Government  2023 trafficking in persons report /
Taiwan
 authorities did not fully implement victim identification procedures, complicating some victims’ access to justice and protective care.  Authorities’ insufficient staffing and inspection protocols continued to impede efforts to identify, investigate, and prosecute forced labor on fishing vessels in Taiwan’s highly vulnerable Distant Water Fleet (DWF).  Authorities’ lack of specific labor laws ensuring the rights of migrant domestic caregivers continued to leave thousands vulnerable to exploitation in forced labor. Many foreign workers in Taiwan earn significantly less than the minimum wage.  Foreign workers who leave their contracted positions – more than 55,000 at any given time – are at particularly high risk of trafficking.   Employers withheld travel and identity documents of 90 percent of all migrant domestic caregivers.
Foreign
fishermen working on Taiwan-owned and -flagged and Taiwan- owned, foreign-flagged fishing vessels have experienced non- or under-payment of wages, long working hours, physical abuse, lack of food or medical care, denial of sleep, substandard safety equipment, and poor living conditions while indebted to complex, multinational brokerage networks through the continued imposition of recruitment fees and deposits.  Migrant fishermen have reported senior crewmembers employ such coercive tactics as threats of physical violence, beatings, withholding of food and water, retention of identity documents, wage deductions, and non-contractual compulsory sharing of vessel operational costs to retain their labor.  These abuses are particularly prevalent in Taiwan’s DWF.
Traffickers subject foreign men and women to forced labor and sex trafficking in Taiwan, and they subject local men and women to forced labor and local women and children to sex trafficking   Taiwanese traffickers increasingly use the internet, smartphone apps, livestreaming, and other such online technologies to conduct recruitment activities, often targeting child victims, and to mask their identities from law enforcement.  Taiwanese traffickers also exploit persons with disabilities in sex trafficking.
Taiwanese criminal organizations  target people from Taiwan for fraudulent recruitment, they may “resell” those who cannot meet sales quotas or repay recruitment debts to other criminal networks – for forced labor in similar fraud schemes, domestic servitude, or sex trafficking.
Traffickers lure women from the PRC and Southeast Asian countries to Taiwan through fraudulent marriages and deceptive employment offers for purposes of sex trafficking.  Many trafficking victims are migrant workers from Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, and, to a lesser extent, individuals from the PRC, Cambodia, and Sri Lanka.  Indonesian, Vietnamese, and Thai nationals continue to represent the majority of foreign sex trafficking and forced labor victims in Taiwan.  
Traffickers reportedly take advantage of relaxed visa requirements under Taiwan's “New Southbound Policy” to lure Southeast Asian students and tourists to Taiwan and subject them to forced labor and sex trafficking.  
   state.gov/reports/2023-trafficking-in-persons-report/taiwan/

 

Dr. Joseph Nye ( a former dean of Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government, and a former assistant secretary of defense,  a deputy assistant secretary of state ) said in a speech under the theme of "Taiwan's Soft Power" at Dec. 8, 2010 that :“The answer is as long as Taiwan stands for democracy and human rights, that will be impossible ( the Americans make a deal and sell out Taiwan forsomething that they want from China) in American political culture.

    

New York Times, 2023-1-5: The Nuclear waste dump on Lanyu island created a generation of indigenous activists. "The government deceived us" the pastor said , "They didn't care that the nuclear waste would kill us, that the Tao people would go extinct".  Despite the government's repeated promises to relocate the site, the dump remains. Now, some residents run inns and restaurants on Lanyu. the focus these days is on tourism

 

 Global Times, 2022-12-19: There are forces on the island who are mentally controlling the Taiwan people...

 

High-tech. persecutions in Taiwan   ( privacy is no longer sacrosanct

 

surveillance in Europe

An increased number of oversight bodies in EU Member States now monitors the work of intelligence services.  About one month ago, a historic vote in the European Parliament: dangerous AI surveillance (real-time remote biometric identification in public spaces, emotion recognition  ( face analysis ) ) banned.

 

surveillance in the U.S.
 

Freedom House (2019)  : At the very least, social media surveillance must come under greater oversight.  The use of such programs must be transparent... The survival of democracy requires vibrant public spaces, both offline and online, where individuals can... without fear of constant surveillance.

Washington DC based Epic.org: The unchecked expansion of surveillance systems is one of the greatest threats to privacy and civil liberties.  Abuses of surveillance technology are not only unjust, they're dangerous.

 

The concerns in the US or Europe are basically about people’s emails, online chats, internet browsing histories, and information about social media activity or  face analysis  in public spaces, etc

 

As for mind control, and electromagnetic attacks the civilians in Taiwan, those are not only violation of Privacy Act (Taiwan does not have a Privacy Act ), but also committing serious crimes.

 

 

However,
In Taiwan, it is sort of a "Black box"
   ──   
Global Times (2022-12-19) says that - There are forces on the island of Taiwan who are mentally controlling the Taiwan people.  

Taiwan has not rebutted its "sworm enemy's" allegation for more than half years, which is nothing other than giving a tacit consent to it.

 

Till now, Taiwan Intel. still refuse to declassify and open persecution files of 50 years ago, are they willing to open the public the crimes they committed in recent years (if any) ?

 

Star War

 

Oversight

In the US,
PRISM receives independent oversight from the federal Gov. executive, judicial and legislatives branches. (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PRISM)
In
EU Member States, they increased the number of oversight bodies to monitor the work of intelligence services
 

  Can Taiwan make it ?


Each time Taiwan's Intel. or dark forces use any of high-tech. weapons (e.g.,
electromagnetic attacks, mind controlling, etc) to harm or repress or abuse any of Taiwanese people,  will they record their operation on files ?  Taiwan needs a mechanism for great oversight and legal actions.
 

 

Executive

  Judicial  

  Legislatives

Economist (2023-5-31) says the gov. Executive Yuan  (the ruling party) has an image problem at home; they have been criticized as immoral and rotten (chinatimes.com/opinion/20230602004779-262101?chdtv   , udn.com/news/story/7338/7179278?from=udn_ch2_menu_v2_main_cate    udn.com/news/story/7338/7183270?from=udn_ch2_menu_v2_main_cate   udn.com/news/story/7338/7180885) Only 32.8% of the Taiwanese people trust the judges. (National Chung-Cheng Univ., 2023-2-13) The opposition legislators have huge difficulty in asking for any files (China Times, 2021-6-18 editorial)


 

 

 

pic. :  No. 1 "Taiwanese human rights"  on Yandex of Russia ,
2023-6-21, 2023-4-2, No.2 at
2022-6-5, 2022-3-1

 

 


pic.: No.2 "Taiwan human rights" on Yandex of Russia,2023-6-21, 2023-4-2, 2022-11-22; top 3 "Taiwan human rights" on Yandex, 2023-3-4;
No.1 "comment Taiwan human rights" on Yandex, 2023-4-2, 2022-11-22
 

 

persecution in 1947 (228 Massacre)

persecution in today's Taiwan

Public Radio International (USA),  The World.org,  2023-3-1

from the perspective of Chiang Kai-Shek, this was an insurrection. And these had been common in mainland China under the [Republic of China] dating back for decades…so it was quite typical to dispatch the military and put down what they perceived to be a rebellion. In a so-called democratic country, Taiwan's political leaders still have Chiang Kai-Shek's mindset, still turn a blind eye to, or still commit crime - political persecutions ... should be unforgivable !   They're making an insurrection !?

 

 Taipei Times, 2023-1-14: There are also domestic issues of concern to human rights advocates. Migrant workers in domestic services, fishing, farming, manufacturing, food processing and construction continue to be subjected to unfair conditions. While amendments have sought to increase pay, supervise treatment of workers on distant-water fishing vessels and improve living conditions at factories, wages for migrant workers remain lower than the minimum wage. Live-in caregivers are also frequently denied appropriate leave, while there are reports of abuse and unfair restrictions. Taiwan was “already among a very, very small number of countries in the world that still retain the death penalty, and the arguments that are time and again repeated by the government are far from convincing.” Taiwan also continues to prosecute people accused of defamation in criminal court. The US Department of State said in its 2021 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices last year that “under the law, those [in Taiwan] who commit slander or libel by ‘pointing out or disseminating a fact which will injure the reputation of another’ are subject to a sentence of up to two years or a fine.”  taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2023/01/14/2003792561

 

 US Country Reports on Human Rights Practices released at 2022-4-12 (state.gov/reports/2021-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/taiwan/):

Worker Rights
n
Large enterprises frequently made it difficult for employees to organize an enterprise union through methods such as blacklisting union organizers from promotion or relocating them to other work divisions. These methods were particularly common in the technology sector.
nThere was reported discrimination, including employment discrimination, against persons with HIV or AIDS
n
Forced labor occurred primarily in sectors reliant on migrant workers, including domestic service, fishing, farming, manufacturing, meat processing, and construction.
Child prostitutes
nThe Control Yuan reported in August that its analysis of official statistics from 2005-20 showed the number of male victims of child sexual exploitation was increasing and that male and female minors of indigenous heritage were targeted at higher rates than those of other ethnic groups.
nThe Taiwan High Prosecutor’s Office reported a rise in child sexual exploitation cases in 2018, 2019, and 2020, with 1,060, 1,211, and 1,691 indictments, respectively.
nNGOs raised concerns about the online sexual exploitation of children and reported sex offenders increasingly used cell phones, web cameras, live streaming, apps, and other new technologies to deceive and coerce underage girls and boys into sexual activity; the NGOs called for increased prosecutions and heavier penalties.
Corruption
nIn 2020 presidential and legislative elections, President Tsai Ing-wen won re-election,...there were allegations of vote buying by candidates and supporters of both major political parties.
n13 high-ranking officials, 79 mid-level, 93 low-level, and 18 elected officials were indicted for corruption.
Freedom of speech
nCTi News was forced off the air after the National Communications Commission declined to renew its broadcast license. Opposition politicians and some academics and commentators claimed the decision was politically motivated retaliation for CTi News’ criticism of the ruling party.
n Reporters faced online bullying and the threat of legal action, particularly under the liberal libel laws. These provisions allow the subjects of unfavorable press coverage to press criminal and civil charges directly against journalists and media outlets for defamation.

Foreign laborers
nForced labor occurred primarily in sectors reliant on migrant workers, including domestic service, fishing, farming, manufacturing, meat processing, and construction. Foreign workers were often reluctant to report employer abuses for fear the employer would terminate their contract, subjecting them to possible deportation and leaving them unable to pay off debts to recruiters
nMigrant fishermen reported abuses by senior crewmembers, including beatings, withholding of food and water, retention of identity documents, wage deductions, and noncontractual compulsory sharing of vessel operational costs to retain their labor. These abuses were particularly prevalent in Taiwan’s large distant-waters fishing fleet, which operated without adequate oversight.
nForeign workers were often reluctant to report employer abuses for fear the employer would terminate their contract, subjecting them to possible deportation and leaving them unable to pay off debts to recruiters.
nForeign fishermen were commonly subjected to mistreatment and poor working conditions. NGOs reported that foreign fishing crews in the distant-waters fishing fleet generally received wages below the required minimum...
nAuthorities estimated that more than 53,000 migrant workers were concentrated in the domestic work and manufacturing sectors. NGOs reported that some migrant workers legally employed as domestic workers were in fact informally employed outside the home...

♣  PS: Taiwan has persecution cases which has not been included in US Human Rights report

 

 justsecurity.org, Focus Taiwan, Taipei Times, etc, 2022-5-13: Invited by Taiwan's government, an international human rights experts panel conducted a five-day review from May 9-13 in Taipei of the country's implementation of two United Nations' human rights-related covenants, namely the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR).
nfreedom of speech and of peaceful protest continues to be unduly restricted.

n The panel's report also highlighted the absence of legislation to curb torture and discrimination in Taiwan.   “The information provided by the government clearly shows that there are many allegations of torture against law enforcement officials in Taiwan,” the report said, adding that those cases only led to disciplinary action instead of criminal prosecution.  The nation has yet to make incorporate torture — the crime of inflicting severe mental or physical pain or suffering on a powerless person for a particular purpose as defined in international law — into its Criminal Code

nThe human rights panel experts are critiquing Taiwan's record on issues such as the death penalty, torture, gender equality, broader forms of discrimination, the status of indigenous peoples, and the rights of migrant domestic workers (especially given the greater burdens on caregivers in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic).

nThe Concluding Observations and Recommendations of the international review committee underlined the importance of Taiwan completing its process of incorporating key norms into its domestic law, by adding the three conventions – the Convention Against Torture, the Convention on Migrant Workers, and the Convention on Enforced Disappearances. The committee also reiterated the need to explicitly prohibit torture in Taiwan’s criminal code.  The review committee also urged Taiwan to issue a declaration (pursuant to Article 12 of the Rome Statute) recognizing the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court.

n international panel experts called on Taiwan to end the “cruel and degrading” practice of capital punishment.  The nine-member group said it was "extremely disappointed" at the failure of Taiwan's government to address the issue"Taiwan is already among a very, very small number of countries in the world that still retain the death penalty, and the arguments that are time and again, repeated by the government, are far from convincing,"  experts said the "cruel, inhuman and degrading" punishment was in violation of ICCPR's Article 6 and 7.

nTaiwan’s failure thus far to incorporate the Convention on Migrant Workers or to adopt a domestic workers protection law is of additional concern given the vulnerability of these workers — many of them women who provide crucial long-term services to the elderly and disabled — to adverse, discriminatory measures related to the pandemic. Their precariousness is further underlined by their low pay, lack of union representation, and the subordination of their bargaining power to the interests of the governments of their home countries because of Taiwan’s reliance on a Philippines-style labor-export model.
 

Many of these workers are identifiable as observant Muslims because of their dress, and are of Southeast Asian (primarily Indonesian, Filipino, Malaysian, and Vietnamese) origin, which differentiates them from most of the population in Taiwan and could make them susceptible to forms of discrimination that are not regulated – hence the need to incorporate the convention’s terms into law. The committee also noted the need to bring migrant workers within the protections of Taiwan’s overall system of labor regulation and received multiple reports regarding limitations on migrant workers’ rights to change employment, to obtain permanent residency, and bars to the migration of family members, resulting in the induced separation of families. The committee also noted its concerns regarding widespread reports of abuses against the conditions of labor for fisheries workers. Many of these are also migrants.

In 2017, another international human rights experts review panel ( Philip Alston, law professor at New York University; Eibe Riedel, former member of the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; Jerome Cohen, law professor at New York University; and Nisuke Ando, professor emeritus at Kyoto University, etc. )  conclusively advised Taiwan legislating a new law against torture and other cruelties.  
Till middle Jun. 2022, Taiwan just turned a deaf ear to them. 

eprints.soas.ac.uk/24511/1/Caldwell_The%20Control%20Yuan%20and%20Human%20Rights%20in%20Taiwan.pdf: Taiwan would still lack a NHRI that complies with the Paris Principles. The Control Yuan would still be subject to the negative effects of the semi-presidential system that could severely limit its ability to effectively protect human rights. The highly volatile political climate, and the way in which party politics play out within Taiwan’s semi-presidential system, have the potential to seriously impede the Control Yuan’s functionality.

 China Times (中時), editorial, 2022-12-22: Taiwan's government has been practicing authoritarianism, the investigation and  prosecutors are under DPP admin.'s orders and wantonly violate human rights. (對內實施威權,檢調對黨政機關俯首聽命,肆意侵犯人權)   chinatimes.com/opinion/20221221004829-262101?chdtv

 

 

  "Green Terror" in Taiwan

People's Daily (10-15-2020, commentary, Chinese version ) Taiwan intel. strictly monitors Taiwanese people  tw.people.com.cn/n1/2020/1015/c14657-31892263.html  站在历史正确的一边——告台湾情治部门书--台湾频道--人民网 (people.com.cn)   

Global Times, 2022-8-11: under the guise of "democracy", the DPP authorities are practicing "green terror". 

Global Times, 12-9-2020: Chiu Yi , a former "lawmaker" in Taiwan and a scholar, said his family members have also been impacted.,Chiu Yi - Wikipedia   
United Daily (聯合報), editorial,

:  We still remember these even you coverWhite Terrorwith "Green Terror"
 city.udn.com/66943/5739252?tpno=36&raid=5739527&cate_no=0   https://udn.com/news/story/7338/2886710?from=udn-catelistnews_ch2

 

 

 

 "White Terror" returns

Apple Daily (蘋果日報), headline, 12-9-2017:  Taiwan's opposition party vice presidential candidate, National Taiwan University professor Lin Ruey-Shiung, was subject to electromagnetic wave attacks (French AFP , Dec. 1, 2011 , Thailand's Bangkok Post,  Dec. 3, 2011, Yahoo UK & Ireland, etc. )  Lin Ruey-shiung - Wikipedia   FTV News (民視  晨新聞) Jan 10, 2012, Lin Ruey-Shiung (林瑞雄):  It's more terrifying than "White Terror" ( 比白色恐怖更恐怖)

United Daily (聯合報),  editorial,

: The means current Taiwanese government using to abuse human rights is as bad as Chiang Kai-shek's authoritarian regime   ( 蔡政府卻不斷踐踏人權 ,手段較之他們指責的威權時期毫不遜色) udn.com/news/story/7338/6364498   
United Daily (聯合報),  editorial,
 :
 More people suffered fear from invisible and delicate social control and threats by government's flank and judiciary (prosecutor, police) ...which is worse than Chiang Kai-shek's Chinese Nationalist Party (綠營政客上行下效養網軍,逼死公務員毫無愧意。政府利用側翼進行社會控制,再加上檢警司法恐嚇,相比蔣家統治的線民監控,更細膩無形;比起動用軍警滿手血腥,操弄網軍迫人社會死亡讓更多百姓畏懼)  udn.com/news/story/11091/6060260?from=udn_ch2cate6643sub11091_pulldownmenu_v2   
The China Times, Taiwan, 2022-2-20: Taiwan's White Terror returns (重返白色恐怖) chinatimes.com/newspapers/20220220000963-260109?chdtv
The China Times (中國時報), 1-6-2021:  the human rights protected by the Constitution has been in danger for a long time...
United Daily (聯合報),  editorial, 2017-12-27, 2017-12-21 :  "state violence" and "White Terror" return   (台灣許多作為 屬「國家暴力」(「白色恐怖」為其產品 )重現).../ ref to https://udn.com/news/story/11321/2897025
United Daily, editorial, 2022-5-4: arbitrarily restricting civil rights in the name of national security is like "authoritarian" in those anti-Communist days returning to today's Taiwan.
Liberty Times (自由時報) 2012-4-21 : The human rights issue in Taiwan is still riddled with gaping wounds / already ailing (人權問題在台灣實際上仍是「千瘡百孔」)
Apple Daily (蘋果日報  論壇), Feb 18, 2008 : urge president to publicize numerous human rights persecutions and political
dark truths  (呼籲總統應公開無數政治黑幕, 及人權迫害真相)
Min-Sen Daily (民生報), July 17, 1995: Everyonein Taiwan could be transparent victims (隱私權迭受侵犯 ,你我都可能成為透明人)

 

 

  High Tech, Terror  in Taiwan  


  only on my sites

 

   

 

 

★  Amnesty International, June, 2021

amnesty.org/en/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/English.pdf

amnesty.org/en/location/asia-and-the-pacific/east-asia/taiwan/report-taiwan/

The government took several measures to control the spread of the COVID-19 virus, some of which threatened the right to privacy. Amendments to the Prison Act failed to address concerns about rights of people on death row with psychosocial or intellectual disabilities. In August, a National Human Rights Commission was established. In October, the International Review Committee received reports from international organizations ahead of its review of Taiwan’s implementation of the ICCPR and the ICESCR.

  Mass surveillance  /   In January, the government introduced a series of measures aimed at preventing the spread of COVID-19, some of which threatened the right to privacy. The government established a digital framework of mass surveillance and connected government databases, such as travel and health insurance records, for the purposes of tracking and tracing. Over 35 government departments were able to constantly monitor people’s movement and other activities, including the purchase of surgical masks, through this platform. The government provided few details about its use of the platform, nor specified when the data collection measures would end.
  Death penalty  / 
Amendments to the Prison Act in January resulted in changes to the Regulations for the Execution of the Death Penalty in July. The amended regulations still allowed death sentences for individuals with psychosocial or intellectual disabilities.2 The authorities made no progress towards abolition during the year and continued to carry out executions

 

     United Daily, editorial, 2022-6-5: Since DPP winning legislative majority for the first time in 2016,  Taiwan's government kept abusing human rights, including suppressing freedom of expression, or restricting personal freedom in the name of national security, the means they took are no less than the authoritarian period they accused.  udn.com/news/story/7338/6364498?from=udn-catehotnews_ch2

 

   ★  World Journal, USA, 12-6-2020 (largest Chinese news in the US)  www.worldjournal.com/wj/story/121475/5070213

 Transitional Justice Committee Taiwan: human rights persecution and infringement by officials in power are anywhere and anytime - in the past, now, and most likely in the future...

 

 

 Global Times (globaltimes.cn/content/1209528.shtml), 12-9-2020: Taiwan authority ‘persecutes mainlanders, pro-reunification activists' by 'Political persecution, framing charge' 

    

 

 

 

pic. :  No. 1 "Taiwanese human rights"  on Microsoft Bing , 2021-5-17, 11-08-2020, 8-2-2020; No.3 at 2022-3-1; No.4 at 2022-6-5; No.2 at 2021-5-9
No.2 "Taiwan human rights abuse" on Bing, 2022-6-5;No.3"Taiwan's human rights", 2022-6-5
 

 

pic. :  No. 1 "Taiwanese human rights"  on Yahoo Taiwan, 2021-5-17, 11-08-2020; No.2 at 2021-5-9

 

 

 

 

Taiwan reviews  /  The ROC on Taiwan, has its own constitution, independently elected president and military forces, However, Taiwan's image was tarnished or damaged for having benefits by any means, and having principal human rights problems, including:

Ethics of Taiwan politicians :  New Yorker (2022-11-21):  When the Chinese test-fired the ballistic missiles, Tsai Ing-wen didn’t tell the public that they flew over the island; that became known only after it was announced by Japanese leaders. When a Chinese drone flew into Taiwan's airspace, Tsai Ing-wen's government reacted with similar reserve... the government looks like it doesn't know what it's doing,” al jazeera, 2022-5-30:  Taiwan legislature erupts in violence over "secret expenses" billKMT lawmakers try to block bill they say could be used to overturn ex-President Chen Shui-bian’s corruption conviction    Guardian, 2021-7-12: China accused Taiwan has rejected China's offers as fake altruism. ... putting politics above its people   United Daily, 3-11-2021, editorial: smear, fragmentation, low dirty means ... Pan Green's propaganda campaign already beyond the critical point of morality. udn.com/news/story/7338/5309442  China Times, 3-12-2021: Ruling party ignoring bottom line of morality is grief of the country.  The Liberty Times, editorial (7-21-2020) reports only 2.3% Taiwanese politicians are trustworthy and have professional ethics, according to a survey half year ago,  56% Taiwanese note elected representatives (lawmakers, councilman, etc) care their own interest, only 9.3% think they care "national interest".  Washington Post (7-22-2020) reports:  In a major speech in January 2019, Xi (Chinese president) offered an ultimatum to Taiwan to come to the table for unification talks or face annexation by force.   However, Taiwan's government was tight-lipped about this ultimatum, so that even famous commentator and analyst  know nothing about it, otherwise pro-Independence Tsai I. W. may not easily continue in presidential office in Jan. 2020, because, according to National Interest (6-16-2020): more than 60.3 percent of the respondents opposed Taiwan's independence if it is followed by China’s military invasion...   Taiwanese personality

●  democracy : Economist, 2022-11-29: many Taiwanese are tired of squabbles over national identity, especially after Ms Tsai’s refusal last year to accept an offer of much-needed vaccines from China ... Wall Street Journal, 2022-11-28: Taiwan Ruling Party's election drubbing could ease tension with China and persuade Chinese leaders that they can peacefully influence politics there.   US Country Reports on Human Rights Practices released at 2022-4-12 :  In 2020 presidential and legislative elections, President Tsai Ing-wen won re-election,...there were allegations of vote buying by candidates and supporters of both major political parties.    al jazeera, 2022-5-30: Taiwan legislature erupts in violence over "secret expenses" billKMT lawmakers try to block bill they say could be used to overturn ex-President Chen Shui-bian’s corruption conviction. United Daily(聯合報) , 2022-5-9, editorial:  Taiwan's news reports seem to be free, but in recent years, the speech market has tended to be "Homogeneity" (單一化); particularly, the state apparatus controls the media very deeply USA Country Reports on Human Rights practices,  2021-3-30: There were allegations of vote buying by candidates and supporters of both major political parties (KMT and DPP) in Presidential election.  Economist EIU Democracy Index 2019 shows Taiwan is "Flawed democracy", overall score is lower than 2015's and 2016's, the scores of "political culture", "political participation" are low (5.63, 6.11).  <DW> of Germany (Chinese edition, 12-25-2020) and <RFI> of France (Chinese edition, 12-27-2020) both quoted <Yazhou Zhoukan > (亞洲周刊) criticizing Taiwan's new democratic authoritarianism.  N.Y. Times  12-3-2019:  soft underbelly of Taiwanese politics: patronage networks.  they continue to allow community leaders, farmers’ associations and even organized-crime figures to buy votes.  New York Times, 1-11-2020: Taiwan’s young and vibrant, if messy at times, democratic society.  <China Times> 2-26-2020, editorial: more and more uncontrolled admin. power and withered legislative power, freedom of speech was suppressed by admin. and judicial power at all levels, ...as for political culture, partisan, stand and ideology matter. </