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Forum organizer for Sunflower movement indicted
By Loa Iok-sin / Staff reporter
Internet celebrity Yao Chieh-hsiang, known as Indie DaaDee, holds a gift box containing a bra and sunflowers as he prepares to answer questions at the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office on June 18.
Photo: Chien Li-chung, Taipei Times
Internet celebrity Yao Chieh-hsiang (姚介祥) — better known as Indie DaaDee (音地大帝) — was indicted yesterday for hosting an “Intestine Flower Forum” on Ketagalan Boulevard in front of the Presidential Office in April, making him the first Sunflower movement protester to be prosecuted.
On April 19, Yao led the forum, which attracted nearly 1,000 people, including Sunflower movement leaders Chen Wei-ting (陳為廷) and entertainer Chen Chia-chun (鄭家純) — better known as Chicken Cutlet Girl (雞排妹).
A series of forums — which were first held outside the Legislative Yuan during the occupation of the legislature’s main chamber from March 18 to April 10 — was aimed at allowing people to criticize the government or the movement itself.
In a written indictment, the prosecutor said that the assembly had not been previously approved and police had issued four warnings that it was in violation of the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法).
Yao said he did not see warning signs or hear police broadcasts.
However, after inspecting a police video, the prosecutor said Yao’s defense was false, leading to the indictment.
“If an event can be nominated for the Taishin Arts Awards and indicted for violation of the Assembly and Parade Act, you know there’s something wrong with society,” Yao said on Facebook after the ruling.
However, he added that if he is jailed, “can they put me in the same cell as [Taipei City Mayoral candidate] Neil Peng (馮光遠)?”
Peng has been sentenced to 20 days in prison for criticizing former Council of Cultural Affairs minister Emile Sheng (盛治仁) using insulting words.
Although hundreds of people who took part in the Sunflower movement are under investigation, no others have been indicted so far.
However, a police officer in Greater Taichung surnamed Su (蘇) has been indicted for criticizing protesters with vulgar words.
source: Taipei Times
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