UPPING THE PRESSURE:The Presidential Office said it had instructed government agencies to spare no efforts to safeguard the advocate’s rights and his safety
Taipei Times
Date: Apr 12, 2017
By: Stacy Hsu / Staff reporter
The Mainland Affairs Council yesterday stepped up the pressure on Beijing and turned to
Mainland Affairs Council Minister Katharine Chang, center, comments on the case of human rights advocate Lee Ming-che, who has been detained in China, at an international news conference in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
the international media to call for the release of detained human rights advocate Lee Ming-che (李明哲), saying the government would spare no efforts in defending the nation’s dignity and the rights of its citizens.
The council held an impromptu international news conference in Taipei hours after the legislature passed a motion proposed by the New Power Party accusing the government of being passive about Lee’s detention and urging it to bring the case to the attention of the international media.
“We must stress the government will do everything to defend our national security and people’s rights. Democracy and freedom are universal human rights that are protected by the Constitution and insisted upon by the 23 million Taiwanese,” Mainland Affairs Council Minister Katharine Chang (張小月) said. [FULL STORY]
