Taiwan Innocence Project Seeks Retrial in 2000 Execution Case
Taiwan Innocence Project filed a motion for retrial on executed inmate Lu Cheng's case.
Why it matters: This case spotlights challenges in death penalty law and wrongful convictions, crucial for legal professionals involved in criminal defense and access to justice.
- Motion filed on September 7, 2026, for Lu Cheng's 2000 execution case.
- Five new evidence items question confession reliability and forensic findings.
- Lu was held for 31 hours before allegedly coerced confession via torture.
- Supreme Prosecutors Office declined further remedies in August 2026.
On September 7, 2026, the Taiwan Innocence Project formally filed a motion for retrial on behalf of Lu Cheng, executed in 2000 for the kidnapping and murder of Chan Chun-Tzu. This motion is grounded in five new pieces of evidence, including forensic studies that challenge the established timeline of the victim's death as well as the reliability of Lu's confession. Notably, Lu was held in police custody for 31 hours before confessing, with credible claims that the confession was coerced through torture.
Physical evidence previously used to convict Lu also came under scrutiny. The shoelace identified as the murder weapon contained no blood or DNA traces, and forensic experts suggested the victim's wound may have been caused by a telephone cord instead. Furthermore, fingerprints collected from a helmet worn by the victim, tape used for bindings, and a telephone booth connected to ransom calls did not match Lu Cheng's fingerprints.
Despite these substantial concerns, in August 2026, the Supreme Prosecutors Office declined to pursue any further legal remedies concerning the case. The Taiwan Innocence Project began revisiting Lu's case in 2019 and petitioned for retrial and extraordinary appeal in 2022, but both efforts were dismissed. The current motion marks the latest legal attempt to seek justice in a case that highlights systemic issues such as coerced confessions, disputed forensic evidence, and potential miscarriages of justice in Taiwan's capital punishment system.
Legal professionals and advocates for criminal defense and access to justice will be closely watching the Taiwan High Court Tainan Branch Court’s response to this retrial motion.
By the numbers:
- 31 hours — time Lu Cheng was held in custody before confession
- Five — new pieces of evidence presented in the 2026 retrial motion
- August 2026 — Supreme Prosecutors Office declined further remedies
What's next: The Taiwan High Court Tainan Branch Court's ruling on the retrial motion is pending.