A Question of Religious Freedom: Tai Ji Men Case in Taiwan

The lack of accountability for the Tai Ji Men terror case of government officials caused the unjust case for 24 years

Action Alliance to Redress 1219 is a partner of the International Religious Freedom (IRF) Summit 2021

WASHINGTON, DC, July 17, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) – The International Religious Freedom Summit (IRF) 2021, the largest and most important religious freedom event of the year, took place at the Guest House in Washington, DC. Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington DC on July 13-15, with more than 1,000 people in attendance. As a Summit Partner, Coalition to take action to fix 1219 its second organization seminar titled “Questions of Justice: The Tai Ji Men Case“On July 15, more than 4,300 religious freedom advocates participated in the event in person or online.

As the panel began, former United States Ambassador General for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback, co-chair of the IRF 2021 Summit, greeted the audience and thanked the audience. bitter winter, an online magazine, for being a co-sponsor of the Summit. Ambassador Brownback praised GS Massimo Introvigne, editor-in-chief of bitter winter, for being a great investigator who wrote about what happened to Tai Ji Men in Taiwan. Ambassador Brownback stated that religious freedom is a fundamental human right, without which humanity cannot develop. He stressed that this right should be protected for everyone, everywhere, at all times. This sentiment is also consistent with the Summit’s Charter for Religious Freedom, which highlights “the right to freedom of religion and conscience.” While different religious groups may practice their values ​​in different ways, “we believe that the role of governments is to protect one’s innate right to choose a future direction. for their souls,” said Ambassador Brownback.

During the Summit, Dr Katrina Lantos Swett, president of the Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice and co-chair of the IRF Summit 2021, emphasized the importance of conscience, saying that if people could always be at peace If they are suitable to listen to their conscience, it will whisper to them the difference between right and wrong despite the temptations and evils of the world. The concept of conscience mentioned by Dr. Swett fits the case of Tai Ji Men very well.

Pamela Chen, on behalf of tens of thousands of Tai Ji Men dizi (disciples), pointed out that their religious freedom had been violated in Taiwan for 24 years. She lamented that “Taiwan Tax Bureau issued illegal tax invoices to Tai Ji Men simply based on a fabricated indictment, without conducting any substantive investigation. That is against conscience. In 2007, the Supreme Court of Taiwan declared Tai Ji Men not guilty of tax evasion or any other charges, confirming that Tai Ji Men did not owe taxes, but Taiwan’s tax department continued to impose unjustified taxes on with Tai Ji Men. That is against conscience. The leader of Tai Ji Men owes no taxes, but his land for a spiritual center has been confiscated. It was theft of his property and was against his conscience. We are Tai Ji Men dizi In the US, we are now speaking out to the international community, seeking support to urge the Taiwanese government to correct its mistakes and realize true democracy and human rights.”

“Tai Ji Men is a spiritual organization that practices qigong and martial arts, with 15 academies in the United States and Taiwan. It has been dedicated to promoting a culture of love, peace and conscience. So far, it has gone to 101 countries, influencing heads of state and leaders of all countries to do the right thing,” added Chen.

Kenneth Jacobsen, a law professor at Temple University, Philadelphia, USA and a former adviser to US President Bill Clinton, has studied the Tai Ji Men case for many years and wrote an article about this case. He shared that he was offended by the serious violations of the law by some rogue officials during the Tai Ji Men case. Like Tai Ji Men dizi (disciple), Professor Jacobsen loves Taiwan and its people, and that is exactly why these officials should be held accountable so that no one else suffers. Professor Jacobsen ended by calling on President Tsai Ing-wen and other leaders of Taiwan to “correct past mistakes. “Letting the mistakes go on, to continue the mistakes made in the past is worse, if not worse, than making the same mistakes in the first place.” Professor Jacobsen said, “What I want to say to the Taiwanese government is: ‘Do the right thing!'”

Professor Massimo Introvigne, sociologist, executive director of the Center for the Study of New Religions, and co-author of white paper on Tai Ji Men case, participated in the teleconference, emphasizing that Taiwan is a democratic country. “Of course, false officials exist everywhere, including in my country of Italy, but the test of democracy is whether other powers in a democratic country can control corrupt officials. good or not.” He said that Tai Ji Men is really a vibrant, thriving religious culture and “I believe that it is precisely Taiwanese friends that should be in the first row calling for a solution to the Tai Ji Men case.” . He stressed that the Tai Ji Men case “is not a tax case, if it was, it would have been resolved a long time ago. It is a matter of principle and a test of freedom of religion or belief.”

Marco Respinti, director in charge Bitter winter, also attended the online forum. He said that Bitter winter followed the Tai Ji Men case closely and regularly. The case is a tragedy because it is a story that prosecutes the innocent at the outset and then spans almost a quarter of a century. Respinti says it’s a journalist’s responsibility to focus on cases like the Tai Ji Men case and face prosecutors’ false accusations, such as raising goblins. Taiwan represents democracy, and he called on the Taiwanese government to remove Tai Ji Men’s name Shifu (main) and dizi (disciples) and re-establish justice. Respinti urges all media to report typical cases of human rights violations such as Tai Ji Men case and finally rectify the case.

About the Coalition to Take Action 1219: Action Alliance to Redress 1219 is a group of international and Taiwanese legal, religious and human rights experts working to restore the truth about the ongoing persecution of Tai Ji Men in Taiwan by a small team. officials have lasted 24 years, as well as their abuse of power and violations of the law. In addition to rectifying the Tai Ji Men case and revealing the truth, it is also committed to defending religious freedom, speaking out for related injustices in Taiwan. The coalition calls on those in power not to ignore the basic human rights of the people and holds the perpetrators accountable to uphold democracy, the rule of law and justice.

Contact via media:
Lily Chen
Representative
admin@act1219.org

626-202-5268
https://act1219.org/eng/

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/64aeaf34-80a7-489a-aef0-1553fe693ebc

Photos are also available at Newscom, www.newscom.com, and via AP PhotoExpress.