Amnesty International
says Chen Shui-bian lacks proper treatment in ROC prison
Michael Richardson, Taiwan Policy Examiner
June 1, 2014
Tuvala Postal Service
Chen Shui-bian, the
imprisoned former president of the Republic of China in-exile on Taiwan, is not receiving proper
medical care said Amnesty International Secretary-General Salil Shetty on
May 31. Shetty is visiting the island to review the human rights record of the
exiled Republic of China government and granted an interview to the Taipei Times.
Shetty spoke about Chen
while discussing ROC prison conditions, including the use of torture. “Besides
the issue of torture, reforms should be made in giving prisoners proper medical
treatment — for instance, your former president Chen Shui-bian is suffering
because he has not received proper treatment,” Shetty said.
Chen Shui-bian is serving a
lengthy prison sentence for alleged corruption. Chen was convicted after a
controversial no-jury trial. Chen’s trial was marred by perjured testimony,
midnight court sessions, courtroom heckling against Chen, an illegal change of
judges and an after-hours skit mocking Chen by court personnel.
Several years of prolonged
confinement in a tiny punishment cell with no furniture and a no-flush toilet
broke Chen’s heath. Chen has been followed by a volunteer medical team of some
of the best doctors on the island who have repeatedly complained about
inadequate treatment. On May 16, the government’s official diagnosis was
finally issued and it confirmed what the volunteer doctors had said all along.
According to the official hospital report, Chen
Shui-bain is suffering from neurological degenerative disease, mainly the
presentations of fronto-temporal lobe symptoms, severe obstructive sleep apnea
syndrome, and a severe depressive disorder. Chen has attempted suicide by
hanging twice since his imprisonment. Chen also has prostate hypertrophy
combined with moderate degree urinary dysfunction which causes incontinence.
Chen’s deteriorating
neurological conditions have left him with a constant hand tremor, loss of
memory, and an unsteady gait that has led to several falls. Current ROC
President Ma Ying-jeou has rejected repeated calls for medical parole for Chen.
The official Taichung
Veterans Hospital report concludes that until now, the responses of Chen’s
illnesses to treatments are limited. Overall, his daily activities should be
cared by full time caretakers. Chen should not go to any more court
proceedings. From a medical point of view, the only effective treatments for
the patient are: leaving the current prison conditions and returning home to
receive family care, or other plausible ways of management.
Shetty was critical of
prison overcrowding in ROC jails, praised the Sunflower Movement, and was
critical of police responses to peaceful demonstrations. Shetty said that
Amnesty International did not evaluate a government by what they said, but
rather what they did.
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