The international reviews of Taiwan’s 2013 and 2017 national reports on the ICCPR and ICESCR emphasized the importance of victim compensation, uncovering historical truths, and the government’s obligation to grant victims and researchers access to relevant archives. In response, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) assembled original files from the Control Yuan’s investigations and urged the Control Yuan to publish relevant investigation reports, which could play a crucial role in restoring the rights of victims and their families.
In March 2021, the NHRC began reviewing, analyzing, and cross-checking investigations into major political incidents. It was discovered that, despite the end of the authoritarian era, 18 investigation reports related to human rights and transitional justice—covering cases such as the April 6 Incident, the Lin Yi-hsiung Case (also known as the Lin Family Massacre), and the Chen Wen-chen Incident—had not been made public. The NHRC collected details of these unpublished reports, including case titles, file numbers, investigation findings, and responses from other agencies. The NHRC then formally submitted this information to the Control Yuan’s Standing Committees for review and approval prior to public release. Additionally, the NHRC worked with the National Development Council's National Archives Administration to make the relevant file catalogs available to the public, allowing individuals from all sectors to browse and request these records freely.
The NHRC report also pointed out that for incidents such as the April 6 Incident, the Penghu Shandong Yantai United High School Incident (also known as the July 13 Penghu Incident), and the ROC Navy White Terror Incident, victims’ rights violations are left outside pre-existing compensation laws, thereby leaving their grievances unaddressed. Another case was the 2017 investigation into the Luku Incident, considered to be the largest political case of the White Terror era because of the high number of arrests and trials. The NHRC’s review of the files revealed that the investigation advised the former Transitional Justice Commission to restore the rights of six villagers who were tortured during the case. However, no action has been taken so far. The NHRC has reached out to the Executive Yuan, urging them to follow current transitional justice laws, and has received encouraging initial responses. There is hope that legal steps to restore the rights of the victims and their families will be implemented swiftly.
Finally, the NHRC pointed out issues encountered during the investigation of the Bo Yang Popeye Cartoon Incident. Requests to access files from the National Security Bureau and the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau were denied, with agencies citing reasons such as “involving intelligence sources and therefore unsuitable for disclosure” or “containing surveillance information requiring confidentiality.” The NHRC recommends that the responsible authorities reconsider whether files still kept secret in the guise of national security truly need to remain classified. Only through full transparency about historical truths can Taiwan foster genuine social trust and work towards reconciliation.