OUTSPOKEN:On April 7, 1989, Deng Nan-jung set himself on fire rather than be arrested another time for antigovernment materials he published in his magazine

Taipei Times
Date: Apr 08, 2015
By: Alison Hsiao  /  Staff reporter

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Pasuya Yao (姚文智) yesterday called on the

Free speech campaigner Deng Nan-jung is pictured in a screenshot taken yesterday of an image posted on Facebook to commemorate the 26th anniversary of his death. Photo: Facebook screen grab

government to establish April 7 as a national holiday to celebrate freedom of speech and commemorate Deng Nan-jung (鄭南榕), who self-immolated 26 years ago to protest against the then-authoritarian Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) regime.

“Freedom of speech is a natural right and should be protected by the state. The First Amendment of the United States constitution prohibits the making of any law depriving people of freedom of speech; our Constitution also stipulates that people shall have freedom of speech, teaching, writing and publication,” said Yao, who proposed an extemporaneous motion in the legislature in Taipei, calling for a “Freedom of Speech Day” to be established on April 7.     [FULL  STORY]