TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A court has decided against allowing citizen judges to try a Vietnamese man who fatally stabbed his girlfriend last year due to concerns over the language barrier and objections by both the defendant and the family of the victim.

A 26-year-old Vietnamese man surnamed Nguyen (阮) has been indicted for the murder of his 22-year-old compatriot also surnamed Nguyen, who he stabbed 21 times in August 2023. He was to be tried under the Citizen Judges Act (國民法官法), but Kaohsiung District Court said Monday (April 15) that the reliance on translation services in legal proceedings would make it difficult for lay judges to focus and render an accurate decision, reported CNA. 

According to the court's ruling, legal proceedings in this case heavily rely on translation services, which could prolong the trial process and distract citizen judges from key issues. In addition, the victim's family members do not reside in Taiwan and are inclined against citizen judge proceedings, preferring professional judges.

After considering that Nguyen had confessed to the crime, the court deemed that a conventional trial would better serve the defendant's interests and adequately protect the victim's rights. Furthermore, translation abilities differ among interpreters in judicial practice.

The incident began when Nguyen and his compatriot girlfriend came to Taiwan for work but were assigned to different companies, leading to a long-distance relationship between Kaohsiung and Pingtung. On Aug. 27, 2023, Nguyen arranged to meet his girlfriend at a hotel in Fengshan, Kaohsiung. 

After his proposal to stay overnight was rejected, he became enraged and stabbed the victim 21 times in the chest, head, and other areas with a knife, resulting in her death. 

Following the investigation by Kaohsiung District Prosecutor's Office, Nguyen was indicted on charges of homicide (殺人罪).