The Cabinet's decision in May to rescind criminal complaints against 126 Sunflower student movement protesters accorded with social consensus, promoted social harmony and prevented the waste of judicial resources, Executive Yuan Spokesperson Tung Chen-yuan reiterated today.
Tung also stated that the demands of the Sunflower movement have since become the consensus of the public and the Legislature.
The previous administration's decision to make the criminal complaints was politically motivated to begin with because its objective was to win civil compensation, which could have been achieved via a civil lawsuit instead, Tung stated.
Although the Cabinet has withdrawn these criminal complaints, some Sunflower protesters are currently being tried on criminal charges of obstructing governmental operation and inciting another person to commit a criminal offense. Tung stressed that the Executive Yuan's stance is to promote social harmony while respecting the judicial system.
As the principle of "no trial without complaint" applied to the alleged offenses, without the Executive Yuan's complaints there would be no criminal prosecution. Hence, the Executive Yuan announced its decision to drop the complaints prior to May 25, the date the trial was to begin, in order to prevent the waste of judicial resources.