Chen Shifen, a scholar in the United States.

(file photo)

[Reporter Qian Lizhong/Taipei Report] Chen Shifen, a professor living in the United States, was accused of using the pseudonym "Weng Darui" to comment on Facebook, successively referring to Yu Zhenghuang, investigator of the Hsinchu City Investigation Station, Gao Hongan, a legislator of the People's Party who is running for the mayor of Hsinchu City, and Kaohsiung Mayor of the KMT. The selected candidate Ko Zhien’s thesis involved plagiarism or academic dishonesty, so Chen was sued by three parties including Yu, Gao, and the Kuomintang, which reported on Ke Zhien’s behalf; regarding Ke Zhien’s part, the Taipei District Prosecutor’s Office believes that Chen’s remarks can be judged by the public. He did not prosecute, so Ke did not file a lawsuit, did not tell anyone, and no further discussion was allowed. Therefore, Chen was confirmed not to prosecute.

When Ke Zhien ran for the mayor of Kaohsiung last year, he was dissatisfied with the online fan page of "Professor Ong Da Rui" and described it as "academic dishonor". Chen Shifen is suspected of violating the law on the election and recall of public officials and other crimes.

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After the investigation, the prosecution determined that Chen Shifen published comments after collecting the materials of Ke Zhien’s academic papers and comparing the obtained materials, which had considerable evidence and intended to appeal to voters for public comments. The constituent elements of the public office election and recall law intending to make a person unelected.

As for the part of Yu Zhenghuang and Gao Hongan's lawsuit against Chen Shifen, it is still under investigation by the Beijing Prosecutor's Office.

Chen Shifen recently issued a statement through his lawyer Hong Shijie, mentioning that "due to work, I have lived in North America for more than 30 years. Based on my concern for my hometown Taiwan, I have published articles in the media and Facebook for a long time, commenting on the current situation and people. I use "Ong Darui" I wrote under my pseudonym and opened a Facebook account under the name "Ondarui" to post my commentary articles."

Chen’s statement also mentioned, “Since I write under a pseudonym and have lived abroad for a long time, it may be difficult to serve the subpoena or complaint. Comments by politicians belong to the freedom of speech guaranteed by the constitution, but they cannot violate the defamation boundary of the criminal law. The accuser has the right to protect his reputation from damage, but he cannot suppress freedom of speech by suing, evade public supervision, or even use the judiciary as an election show There must be a clear line between public comment and reputation defamation, or between legitimate complaints and publicity, and I expect the judiciary to make the final decision on where the line is crossed.”