From authoritarianism to democracy: Freedom and human rights in Taiwan
Oct 17, 2023 — 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.
The Human Rights Research and Education Centre (HRREC) and the Research Chair in Taiwan Studies at the University of Ottawa are pleased to partner with the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Canada in welcoming Ms. Chen Chu, Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission in Taiwan.
From authoritarianism to democracy: Freedom and human rights in Taiwan
Join us for an important conversation about how Taiwan, after 38 years of martial law, turned into one of the most democratic and free countries in Asia, dedicated to raising nationwide awareness of human rights.
Our speaker
Ms. Chen Chu
Chairperson, National Human Rights Commission, Taiwan
Ms. Chen Chu currently serves as the President of the Control Yuan and Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission since 2020. She previously held the position of Secretary-General to the President from 2018 to 2020 and served as the Mayor of Kaohsiung from 2006 to 2018, making her the longest-serving mayor of the city. She has also served in various government roles and was Taiwan鈥檚 first directly-elected female mayor of a special municipality.
Ms. Chen is a prominent political figure in Taiwan鈥檚 recent history, during which she organized a pro-democracy demonstration 鈥 鈥淜aohsiung Incident鈥 on International Human Rights Day in December 1979 under Taiwan鈥檚 martial law period. She was put behind the bars for almost 6 years. The Incident played a significant role in leading Taiwan towards its democratization and the end of the martial law period.