1019 Walk for Judicial Revival March

Event description

The Judicial Reform Foundation (JRF) established 1019 National Judicial Reform Action Alliance to enable the government to understand the sentiments and demands of various sectors of society regarding the judiciary. The goal was to urge judicial authorities to recognize the intensity of the people's needs and undertake bold reforms. To achieve this, the JRF, in collaboration with various societal groups, formed the "1019 National Judicial Reform Action Alliance." From October 1st to 19th, 1997, a series of activities promoting judicial reform took place. These included seven joint press conferences on "Equality Before the Law?", media promotions and events on radio and television. The culmination was the "March for Judicial Revival" held on October 19, where citizens publicly demonstrated their strong demands for judicial reform, compelling the government to undertake significant changes.

The National Judicial Reform Action Alliance's appeals for judicial reform were divided into two aspects: combating and promoting.

On the combating front:

1. Anti-Corruption: Ensuring the judiciary remains impervious to financial influence, establishing a completely clean judiciary.

2. Anti-Privilege: Detaching the judiciary from political parties and elite powers, establishing a judiciary where everyone is treated equally.

3. Anti-Discrimination: Emphasizing that lacking financial means is not a crime, and those who lack influence should also be protected, establishing a compassionate and fair judiciary.

4. Anti-Hastiness: Emphasizing that court proceedings are serious matters and not games, ensuring that litigation is not a game of chance, and establishing a judicious and prudent trial process.

On the promoting front:

1. Democratizing the Judiciary: Ensuring the judicial system serves the entire population, recognizing that people are the users and consumers of the judiciary, and preventing the courts from being aloof.

2. Humanizing the Judiciary: Recognizing that the judiciary is not a tool for ruling but a method of serving the people, and ensuring judicial measures respect human dignity and align with human nature. Special measures should be in place for vulnerable groups such as disabled individuals, women, and youth to enjoy judicial protection.

3. Socializing the Judiciary: Adapting the judicial system to societal changes, ensuring judicial personnel understand societal trends, and aligning the judiciary with the pulse of society; otherwise, it risks being detached and out of touch.

4. Professionalizing the Judiciary: Recognizing the rapid progress of society, advocating for the professionalization of the judiciary, and urging judges to specialize. Judges should exhibit professional competence (being judges in the true sense) and specialize in the types of cases they adjudicate, ensuring fair and appropriate judgments.

Outcome

Facilitating the 1999 National Judicial Reform Conference, the Judicial Reform Foundation played a pivotal role in promoting measures such as the anti-interference system, making court rulings publicly accessible online, and ensuring prosecutors attend court proceedings throughout.

The Foundation also played a key role in mobilizing civil society to continually emphasize the importance of judicial reform. Concrete actions included organizing evaluations of judges and prosecutors, publicly disclosing the results of courtroom observations, and issuing examination reports and accompanying resolutions regarding the annual judicial budget over the years.

Participating Organizations