TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Major legal associations in Taiwan have voiced strong opposition to the TPP’s proposed amendment to the Court Organization Act that would allow court proceedings to be livestreamed.
The groups argue that livestreaming trials could disrupt the legal process, put undue stress on participants and erode protections for victims and witnesses, per ETtoday. They called on the TPP to halt its proposal to allow for broader public discussion.
The Taiwan Society of Forensic Medicine and the Taiwan Medical Association issued a joint statement Sunday warning that expert witnesses may feel pressured to alter testimony under public scrutiny and that sensitive topics could be avoided altogether.
They also raised concerns that broadcasting sensational cases could harm victims and their families while making witnesses vulnerable to retaliation.
The Taiwan Criminal Law Society echoed these views, saying the proposal could jeopardize privacy, the right to a fair trial and disproportionately impact marginalized groups.
It warned that livestreaming risks turning court proceedings into media spectacles and noted that transparency can be achieved without livestreaming through recorded proceedings and citizen judge systems.
The Taiwan Law Society added that livestreaming is rare even among advanced democracies, per CNA, observing that the United States, Germany and Japan permit video recordings only under limited conditions.
In response, TPP Chair Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) defended the proposal Monday as a continuation of reforms endorsed at the 2017 National Affairs Conference under former President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), per Tai Sounds. Huang accused the opposing associations of backtracking on previously agreed positions.
DPP Legislator Wu Szu-yao (吳思瑤) criticized the plan Thursday for risking the politicization of court proceedings, noting livestreaming discussions were put on hold amid controversy, per Liberty Times.
