2020 EU-Taiwan Judicial Exchange Programme

The EU-Taiwan Judicial Exchange Programme was launched in 2012 with the aim of promoting exchanges on judicial and human rights matters, including the subject of the death penalty, between judicial experts from the European Union and Taiwan. Participants of the programme have included judges, prosecutors, lawyers, academics and NGOs.
This year’s Judicial Exchange Programme is jointly organized by the European Economic and Trade Office, the Judicial Yuan, the Judges Academy, French Office in Taipei, German Institute Taipei and Taiwan Alliance to End the Death Penalty.
The two-day seminar held at the Judges Academy on 24-25 September focuses on Forensic Psychological Assessment and Treatment of Mentally-Disordered Offenders in the Criminal Justice System. The issues discussed will include mentally-disordered offenders’ competency to stand trial, forensic psychological assessment and criminal and protective treatment, as well as alternatives to the death penalty.
Due to the Covid-19, the seminar is conducted partly online, with European experts participating virtually from Europe.
In addition to the seminar, in the morning of 25 September, a film screening of the award-winning documentary Me and My Condemned Son will be held, followed by talks by director Lee Chia-hua and Chief Judge of Taiwan Shilin District Court Su Su-e.
Head of European Economic and Trade Office Filip Grzegorzewski said that the European Union is founded on a strong engagement to promote and protect human rights, democracy and rule of law worldwide. He noted that Taiwan is an important like-minded partner of the EU in the promotion of human rights, with the death penalty being perhaps the only point of difference between the EU and Taiwan. He said that many of the issues covered in the seminar have received great attention in recent years and expressed hopes that the seminar would offer a valuable opportunity for experts from both sides to share their insights and experience.
During his opening remarks, Judicial Yuan President Hsu Tzong-li said that the EU-Taiwan Judicial Exchange Programme highlights that human rights is a core value shared by Taiwan and the EU.  President Hsu said that this year's programme focuses on the protection of human rights for mentally-disordered defenders, in particular the due process of their trials, forensic psychological assessment and their judicial treatment. He added that in recent years related cases have led to widespread discussion in Taiwan and the European Union, expressing hopes that the exchanges in the next two days would lead to further progress in related academic research and practices.