Taiwan Protests | Thousands Rally In Taipei City To Demand The Release Of Jailed Former Mayor | N18G 

This demonstration was held to oppose authoritarianism and judicial persecution that illegally imprisoned people for personal freedom.

More than 500 prosecutors and investigators searched over 55 locations, including the opposition party's headquarters, and interrogated leader of the opposition, Ko, for 70 hours. After the searches, the judge acknowledged a lack of sufficient evidence, but Ko was still placed in custody to allow prosecutors time to gather more evidence.

We protest the unjust treatment of Taipei's former mayor, a third-party leader unfairly targeted despite his exemplary public service. His transparent eight-year term is well-documented. The new administration has misused the justice system against him, subjecting him to unlawful searches and inhumane interrogation. On September 5th, Ko Wen-je was detained in the absence of concrete evidence. We are deeply concerned by what appears to be an abuse of power by the ruling party. This isn't just about one individual; it's about preserving democracy, justice, and human rights. We call on the media, international observers, and citizens worldwide to pay attention to this situation and seek the truth. We urge those who value democracy, freedom, and human rights to focus on the facts surrounding this case. Our goal is to ensure a transparent and fair judicial process, upholding Taiwan's cherished democratic principles.

Ko Wen-je's imprisonment reveals a troubling disregard for judicial fairness and human rights under the DPP's rule in Taiwan. The government has manipulated media to control public opinion and even interfered with the judiciary. As a result, Ko Wen-je, leader of a third party, has been unjustly detained without evidence, stripping him of his basic human rights. This not only erodes public trust in the judicial system but also undermines democracy and freedom in Taiwan.

謝謝報導

Shame on DPP, Stand with Ko Wen-Je

Thanks for CNN raised up Taiwan judicial issues. I am Taiwanese and I stand with Ko Wen-Jo. No evidence, no jail. That’s simple and clear. We don’t want to be another PRC in Taiwan.

Free Dr. Ko. It is such a big setback how DPP using the system to imprison their political opponents.

民進党政府先前判決國會助理貪污16美元。 民進党政府告訴受害人認罪緩刑。

Without finding any evidence or financial records, Taiwanese prosecutors accused the chairman of the third-largest party, Ko, of corruption, searching his home, office, and the TPP party staff workspace, seizing documents, his phone, and USB. He was detained for 70 hours, including interrogations in the early hours, and the 65-year-old Ko was forced to sleep on the floor of a small holding cell with lights on, given only sweet bread to eat, and unable to shower. Detained solely based on the prosecutor's and judge's judgment, this approach reveals that Taiwan does not truly uphold the presumption of innocence, nor does it adequately protect human rights, jailing people without evidence.

感謝報導！！台灣司法的倒退需要被更多人看見。❤

I am Taiwanese, and I believe KP in hard work without corruption. I stand with KP. （ Dr.Ko Wen-je ） The prosecution, putting him in jail without any evidence.

Thank you, CNN-News 18, for reporting. I hope it will help more people see this.

I am Taiwanese, and I believe KP in hard work without corruption. I stand with KP. （ Dr.Ko Wen-je ） The prosecution, putting him in jail without any evidence. This is Political persecution! There are lots of people believing in Ko, they just don't have the main streammedia. Please share this news to more socialmedia. please help KP !

Dr. Ko Wen-je, a Taiwanese physician who has saved numerous lives, is being unjustly detained due to political pressure. We urge the international community to intervene and help free him.

I am Taiwanese and stand with KP. There is no evidence of corruption but he was detained.

Judiciary and procedures must be fair. I stand with KP.

Ko Wen-je has been unfairly mistreated by the judiciary. Please ask the international community to lend a helping hand!

Look at these young people's faces with anger and worries about the democracy corruption in Taiwan.

Our government in Taiwan recently arrested Ko Wen-je without any evidence proving his guilt. This is clearly political persecution. However, Taiwanese citizens have no way to help Ko Wen-je. We urgently need your help to raise awareness about this issue. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

Taiwan is under Green Terror. (Green: Democratic Progressive Party, the ruling party). The judiciary serve for DPP. The judiciary lose the fairness and justice and become one of DPP's weapon to eliminate their political opponents. Prosecutor searched Ko wen-je's home, his office, and ridiculously including the TPP central party office, which is no relation with the suspicious crime and out of the restriction of search tickets. The prosecutor didn't find any illegal cash. Then Ko wen-je was interrogated for 70hrs in inhumane situation. Prosecutor couldn't find any illegal cash/payment flow or strong criminal evidence. Ko wen-je don't take bribes, but was arrested and detained for groundless crime. It is the darkness of Taiwan democracy.

這麼善良實在認真做事不貪污的政治人物，竟被欺凌上銬，這就是綠色執政，綠色恐怖 為了自己，大家要站出來

司法要公平，程序要正義

Please support human rights and justice in Taiwan.

Ko Wen-je, the chairman of the opposition party, underwent intense searches and 70 hours of questioning. Despite the lack of evidence, prosecutors and investigators continued to forcibly piece together false narratives using unrelated cases. After the first hearing, the first judge ruled him not guilty and released him. However, the prosecution appealed, and three days later, with no new evidence presented, a second judge-known for his controversial political leanings-ruled to detain Ko without visitation rights. I feel deeply saddened that in democratic Taiwan in 2024, such judicial persecution still exists.

司法要公平 拒絕政治迫害 拒絕統一集權

Thank u CNN💪💪

Free Dr. Ko!

The prosecution detained him solely based on subjective belief.

🙏拜託

political repression political repression political repression

Releases ko wen je former Taipei mayor,please help him

1.Legality of the Search Warrant: There are questions about whether the scope of the search warrant is legal, as Ko’s office is not located in the party headquarters, yet the headquarters was included in the search. 2.DPP’s Statement on Facebook: The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) posted a statement on Facebook on behalf of the Taipei District Prosecutor’s Office, emphasizing that the search warrant was legal and justified. However, since the search warrant was not made public, how did the DPP obtain this information? And why is a political party clarifying matters for the Taipei District Prosecutor’s Office? 3.Prosecutor’s Statement Lacks Justification for Detention: The statement issued by the Taipei District Prosecutor’s Office did not provide any reasons as to why Ko should be detained. 4.Legitimacy of Ko’s Second Detention: The legitimacy and reasonableness of the second detention during the investigation are under scrutiny. After Ko was initially released without bail, the prosecutor’s office successfully appealed, and the judge was replaced with a highly controversial one (previously criticized by a former DPP chairman). Despite no new evidence and no clear evidence, the new judge still ruled for Ko’s detention. 5.Implications for Taiwan’s Political Situation: If the third-largest party collapses, Taiwan will revert to a two-party dominance, which could create a chilling effect, discouraging people from standing up against the ruling party. 6.Media Manipulation: It’s alarming that every media outlet and commentator seems to be spreading false rumors, as if they all have access to supposedly confidential investigation details. Since the presidential election, Ko has been the headline every day, raising suspicions that a political party might be manipulating the entire media.The NCC of Taiwan is supposed to manage and supervise the content of television programs, but there seems to be no action taken. 7.Concerns Over Forced Confessions: The investigation is currently centered around profiteering charges, not corruption. Ko is being detained while authorities search for evidence of corruption. If no evidence is found, will he continue to be detained? 8. Selective Investigations: There’s widespread frustration that previous allegations of corruption, such as the Chao’s Egg scandal and vaccine issues, have not been thoroughly investigated, yet the investigation against Ko has proceeded swiftly. Please continue to pay attention to the social developments in Taiwan.Thanks!

民進黨一黨獨大 司法要公平 拒絕政治迫害 拒絕統一集權 拒絕綠共

Stand with justice為司法公義站出來 #程序要正義 #司法要公平 #集結 🌱 KP

This news misses the point of the incident. This is the first time since the lifting of martial law in Taiwan that the chairman of a major opposition party has been subject to judicial investigation. The investigators even searched the headquarter of the opposition party. It happened after Mayor Gao from the same party was convicted guilty, and the prosecutor in charge of Gao's case was promoted on the same day of the verdict. According to some media, this case is "just the beginning" of the investigation into TPP(Taiwan People's Party) Chairman Ko Wenche. Prosecutors have more ongoing cases against Chairman Ko during his tenure as Taipei mayor, although the former mayor has always prided himself on being clean. At present, the prosecutors have no evidence that Chairman Ko has accepted bribes, but still Ko is detained on suspicion of profiteering. Since this year, TPP and Chairman Ko have been one of the top targets of the ruling party DPP. The DPP was unable to obtain a majority of the seats in the latest congressional election, and the cooperation between the TPP and the Kuomintang made it impossible for the ruling party to dominate Congress as before. TPP's key minority role has become a thorn in the side of the ruling party in Congress. Even though the TPP is only the third largest party in Taiwan, the ruling party DPP always targets the TPP more, rather than the largest opposition party KMT. The TPP believed that this judicial case was a political persecution by the ruling party DPP, so it launched this demonstration.

Political persecution! End Legal Oppression! Say No to Unjust Verdicts!

還好台灣還是有很多清醒的人.感謝在現場的小草挺身而出!

Taiwan needs help. We speak out for justice and fairness, hoping to gain international attention and assistance.

這一次RU-vid直播，超過10萬，台灣有許多人支持這次活動

I am Taiwanese, and I believe KP in hard work without corruption. I stand with KP. （ Dr.Ko Wen-je ） The prosecution, putting him in jail without any evidence. This is Political persecution! There are lots of people believing in Ko, they just don't have the main streammedia. Please share this news to more socialmedia. please help KP !😢

The prosecution, putting him in jail without any evidence.

Free Dr. Ko ! ❤Free Dr. Ko ! ❤Free Dr. Ko ! ❤

Release Dr Ko.

Political persecution! There's NO evidence to show Ko, the former mayor/party chairman of TPP, is illegal yet, but Ko is been sent into the jail already. The President of Taiwan, Lai, which is the party chairman of DPP, is using the judiciary of country as his political weapon to treat Ko unfairly with inhumane treatment.

We hope that the international community can assist Taiwan. Taiwan is not an authoritarian country and Ke Wenzhe is not guilty.

#今天柯文哲明天任何人 #司法要正義程序要公平

I am Taiwanese and I stand with KO Wen-Jo.

Thank you so much CNN news18

I was there! I believe in Dr. Ko!

Stand with justice. Stand with Ko Wen-Je. Taiwan need help.

Thank you for letting more people see the truth.

illegal arrest opposition leader without finding evidence of a crime.

we demand fair and independent judicial system and process, not just for Ko

The judiciary in Taiwan is no longer just.

We need justice and strong institutions. Taiwan needs help.😢😢😢

Political persecution !!

Taiwan needs help. DPP is going to AUTOCRACY

Former Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je was unfairly detained by Taiwan's ruling party in violation of judicial procedures. Over 20,000 people gathered on the streets, and more than 150,000 expressed their support online, hoping to safeguard Taiwan's democracy, rule of law, and human rights.

Human Rights Denied! Stop Judicial Injustice! No More Judicial Persecution! Fair Trials for All! End Legal Oppression! Justice for the Innocent! Say No to Unjust Verdicts! Fight Judicial Corruption! Demand Judicial Accountability! Stop Legal Injustice Now!

Taiwan need HELP! Stop Judicial Injustice! FREE innocent Dr. Ko!!!

No More Judicial Persecution!Stop Legal Injustice Now!

Ko is wrongly accused. Please save him from the international media.

Taiwan needs judicial reform!

DPP Lai Ching-te's actions are clearly political prosecution. He controls prosecution, judicial systems, TV, and social media to carry out his will to eliminate the enemy threatening DPP's/his power. His actions are impacting Taiwan democracy and aligning with CCP China. We Taiwan people simply demand the procedure justice and fair judicial system. News 18, as an international media, please ask DPP government that how can a claimed democratic country detain a suspect/defendant without evidence just because of free evaluation of evidence from pro-DPP's judge. The prosecutors didn't find cash in Dr. Ko's places even the financial transactions/cash flows in his bank accounts for days. Pro-DPP media has fabricated kinds of false evidence to publicly judge Dr. Ko before trial for character assassination. NCC, under DPP government, which is responsible for regulating media didn't take any actions to stop the chaos.

This is political persecution. We need international help. Please help us.

DPP (Democratic Progressive Party, the current Taiwan government) was established about 40 years ago, with the core belief of anti-communism, has gained supporters over the years especially after the martial laws ended (from the old government KMT from China) in 1987. Their grassroots background painted them as the "only" voice for the suppressed ordinary people in this new born democratic country Taiwan. Unfortunately, the hard fought freedom and rights for all Taiwanese did not last long. The first DPP Taiwan president (2000-2008) Chen Shui-Bian was jailed for corruption. The second DPP Taiwan president (2016-2023) Tsai Ying-Wen left the office with numerous renewable energy scandals. This past January, Lai Qing-De from DPP only won the presidential election with 40.05% of the votes when the TPP (26.46%) (Ko Wen-ze) and the KMT (33.49%) failed to collaborate. Now, the new DPP president Lai vows to destroy TPP by all means in order to get back the (26.46%) votes they claimed were "theirs". Researches show that TPP's 26.46% votes are from voters who used to support DPP but saw through how corrupted they have become and turned to TPP. Last Friday, TPP chair Ko Wen-Ze was forced out of his house, his office was searched, his phone and computer were confiscated, and he was questions for 70 hours straight in a small room with handcuffs periodically when the judicial department later announced that Ko was NEVER under arrest and was free to walk out of the room anytime he wanted... DPP HAS BECOME THE COMMUNISTS THEY SAID THEY LOATHED and worse. On September 5th, TPP chair Ko Wen-Ze wasthrown in jail "without" any proof of illegal money transactions or bank activities 😢 for corruption. Taiwanese people need your help to spread the persecution news since DPP has controlled most of the TV stations and social media in Taiwan. Please support us to keep our democracy! 36 hours after this protest was called, near 20,000 citizens decided to stand out and gathered here, to say no to DPP's judicial persecution on Ko or anyone! Rise Taiwanese people. RISE!!

"I'm Taiwanese, I can't believe something like this happened in our country."

Stand With Ko Wen-Je.

恐怖

Kp has guts.

Please help Taiwan, judicial persecution by the DPP government Taiwan need your help!

Fight Judicial Corruption!

There is no evidence against Ko Wen-je. Yet, he has been interrogated for 70 hours by Taiwanese prosecutors, given only bread and juice, and denied a chance to bathe. Despite no financial evidence, the court approved his detention. Media commentators have spread rumors and judged him before trial, moving from innocence to guilt and trying to damage his reputation. Such actions are unacceptable in a democratic country. We urge international media to pay more attention to this issue. Thank you.🙏🙏🙏

公平正義的力量真的好強大, 令人好感動！！台灣全民的民主加油！

This is political persecution😢

What's happening in Venezuela is happening in Taiwan! The opposition leader is illegally arrested!

Ke Wenzhe from Taiwan is very honest, diligent and loves the people. However, the government tried every means to frame him because he became more and more popular among the people.

miscarriage of justice procedural justice

台灣出了一個 賴近平

請大家幫忙支持KP

This is an unfair trial. To our international friends, we need your attention to help ensure that justice prevails, as all the evidence shows that Ko Wen-je did not accept any bribes.

當執法者自己都不能守法時，憑什麼要求人民守法？

Shame on DPP, I am stand with Ko Wen-je

People who support former mayor Mr.Ko are more than these.

Dr. Ko wen-je is innocent. Please save him from political persecution.

Stop Judicial Injustice!

The ongoing political persecution and judicial abuse happening in Taiwan.

Fight Judicial Corruption!! I believe KP!

Ko is innocent

好人要被收押，這個社會是非對錯都顛倒了，真的混蛋

Taiwanese is suffering from unfair judicial persecution, and Taiwan has become a national dictatorial country, please support and save the people of Taiwan!

Let the world see the injustice of justice in Taiwan.I stand with KP

Indeed, a political persecution

stand for justice，Ko Wen-je is innocent.

There is NO EVIDENCE!!! There is NO EVIDENCE!!! There is NO EVIDENCE!!!

Help and Release Dr. Ko! Please help us!

We urge everyone to pay attention to Ko Wen-je, who is currently being unfairly targeted by the judicial system. Taiwan's democracy is at risk of backsliding, and this situation calls for international condemnation to protect the integrity of our democratic values.

Democracy retreats and human rights are lost😢😢😢 Taiwan is not a democratic and free country😢

I am Taiwanese, and I believe KP in hard work without corruption. I stand with KP. （ Dr.Ko Wen-je ） The prosecution, putting him in jail without any evidence. This is Political persecution! He is being persecuted because the vast majority of the younger generation supports him, which threatens the current ruling party. There are lots of people believing in Ko, they just don't have the main stream media as they are a new political party! When KP was a doctor, he saved many people. When he was the mayor, he took the bus to work every day and had meetings at 7:30 in the morning. He is now overwhelmed by DPP and KMT's media. This is an political oppresion. a lot of false and wrongly information spread outward. The world needs to know the truth,. Please share this news to more social media. please help KP !