Taipei Times
Date: Sep 21, 2017
By: Chen Wei-han / Staff reporter

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) should approve a petition for former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), also known as A-bian (阿扁), to be pardoned at its national congress on Sunday, DPP Legislator Hsu Chih-chieh (許智傑) said yesterday.

The Local Council Alliance for A-bian’s Amnesty launched the petition, which is to be proposed at the congress to pressure President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) to pardon the former president.

Chen served more than six years of a 20-year sentence for corruption before being released on medical parole in 2015, but still faces other criminal charges.
In a radio interview, Hsu said the petition should be approved, as 509 of about 570 active DPP representatives who are to be at the congress have signed it.

DPP chairpersons, who chair the party’s national congresses, have traditionally referred such controversial proposals to the DPP Central Executive Committee for deliberation, effectively shelving them, he said.    [FULL  STORY]