美國在12月9日、10日召開全球「民主峰會」，邀請了約110個國家及地區領袖、公民社會組織等，包含台灣。美國總統拜登開幕致辭，全球自由正受到尋求擴大權力、輸出影響力和為打壓辯護的專制政體的威脅。BBC NEWS中文網12月10日以「首屆『民主峰會』舉行：中美針鋒相對的『民主』之爭」為題報導，指出台灣派出駐美代表蕭美琴和行政院政委唐鳳參加峰會，北京未受邀請，峰會被觀察將為美中角力再掀波瀾。
民主峰會前夕，12月7日在華府舉辦的「The Tai Ji Men Case」國際記者會，揭露台灣政府縱容少數官員貪腐真相，學者稱為法稅228的太極門假案，是台灣延續威權遺毒、迫害人權的指標性案件。新興宗教研究中心創辦人暨理事長Dr. Massimo Introvigne教授從義大利專程前來與會，以身為台灣國際友人角度提出中肯建議。「我們正處在一個歷史時刻，台灣需要國際朋友的最大支持。」「但是這種支持的前提要件是臺灣將自家的事情處理好。擺脫過去威權主義的幽靈，解決威權時期造成的問題，解決威權過去所造成的案件。」發生於1996年的太極門假案，遭到刑、稅迫害至今25年，仍未獲得最終正義。
Massimo曾經多次訪問台灣，2019年印太區域保衛宗教自由公民社會對話在台北舉辦，他是貴賓之一，在宗教社會學領域發表了70多部著作和100多篇文章。他曾擔任歐洲安全與合作組織（歐安組織）打擊種族主義、仇外心理和宗教歧視問題的代表，曾被義大利外交部任命為宗教自由觀察站主席，觀測全世界宗教自由問題。
Massimo從國際人權高度剖析台灣當前問題，深入淺出探討貪腐對人民與國家造成的嚴重傷害。特別刊登Dr. Massimo Introvigne在華府國際記者會總結的建言與中文翻譯：
We ask you and those following us by zoom or Youtube to be here today for a very important human rights case.
我們請求你，及所有透過zoom或Youtube觀看今天記者會的所有人，一起關注這個極為重要的人權案件。
It’s now (been) several years, I have spoken in various forms during the international human rights events and academic conferences about the Tai Ji Men case. And I am always afraid that some misunderstanding may happen, because I fully understand it could be a logical reaction, to say that’s a very complicated Taiwanese tax law, so let’s take it to Taiwanese lawyers, and they should solve it. But that’s a total misunderstanding. It is not, and it never was a pure tax case.
這幾年來，我在各種不同的國際人權場合或學術性會議談太極門案件，總是很怕會發生一些誤會，我完全可以理解，許多人的邏輯反應會說，這看起來涉及很複雜的台灣稅法，就交給台灣律師吧，他們有辦法解決的。但這完全是個誤解，這個案子並不是、也從來都不是一個單純的稅務案件。
As we said, it’s on two accounts a human rights case. First, it's a human rights case because the first human right is “freedom of religion or belief”. This case started in 1996, then there was a massive denial of freedom of religion or belief in the past authoritarian Taiwanese context, whatever happened in subsequent years derives from this fundamental violation of freedom of religion and belief and continues to be, to this very day, a violation of freedom of religion or belief.
就像我們說的，從兩方面來說這是人權案件。首先，這是人權案件，因為第一項人權就是「宗教或信仰自由」。此案從1996年開始，當時因為後威權時代的背景導致發生大規模剝奪宗教或信仰自由的情況，隨後幾年發生的一切，都源自於當時這種對宗教和信仰自由的根本侵犯，直到今天仍然是如此。
As Willy Fautre said, it is also a violation of human rights because it's a case of administrative corruption. As the United Nations has recognized, corruption is a violation of human rights, because it prevents citizens from enjoying their human rights. So it’s a serious problem of corruption even the US state department states in yearly human rights reports, they praise Taiwan in many accounts, and rightly so. But they said Taiwan has a problem of bureaucratic corruption. It should solve it. And the Tai Ji Men case is a case where human rights of the Tai Ji Men community were violated through corruption.
如同人權無國界組織主席Willy Fautre所說，這是一個因行政腐敗而導致人權侵害的案件。聯合國已經承認，貪腐即是侵害人權，因為貪腐會阻礙公民享受人權，所以這是一個嚴重的腐敗問題，即使是美國國務院在年度人權報告中有很多讚揚台灣的地方，當然這是正確的；但他們也說台灣有官僚腐敗的問題，應該要解決。而太極門案，正是太極門這個群體的人權因腐敗而受到侵犯的案件。
Is it a tax case? Is it a human rights case? But it's not an academic question, it's a very practical question. Because if it is a pure tax case, that's something to be solved by Taiwanese lawyers, why bother to come to Washington DC and discuss this case? Well, the answer is precisely, because it is not primarily and certainly it is not exclusively a tax case, it’s a case of human rights.
這是一個稅務案例嗎？ 還是人權案件嗎？ 但這不是一個學術問題，而是一個非常實際的問題。 因為如果是單純 的稅案，那是台灣律師可解決的事情，何必來華盛頓討論這個案子。答案非常清楚明確，因為它主要不是、絕對也不僅僅是一個稅務案件，而是人權案件。
It is an established and recognized principle that it is the right and duty of the international community to protect the human right, and it’s needed that international community takes an interest as it is doing as it takes a stand in the violation of the Tai Ji Men human rights in Taiwan.
保護人權是國際社會的權利和義務，這是既定的公認原則。需要國際社會對台灣侵犯太極門人權的事件表達關注，並對太極門問題採取立場。
Let me conclude with a personal remark.
以下就我的個人觀察做結論
I am a Italien and in Italy we have an expression of a dialogue of deaf people. Two deaf people try to talk to each other, but they cannot have a dialogue. So in this case, we have on the one hand, the Tai Ji Men dizi, many Taiwanese scholars from the leading universities, they are not dizi but they have written about this case, and growingly, dozens of international scholars and human rights activists who have participated in conferences and seminars and webinars about theTJM case, and they all say, look, it's a question of freedom of religion or belief and it's a question of human rights. And on the other hand, we have the Taiwanese authorities, which said sorry, but for the year 1992, the statute of limitation has expired so there is nothing we can do. But this is false.
我是義大利人，在義大利我們有個說法「聾人之間的對話」。兩個聾人嘗試互相交談，但他們怎麼樣就是無法對話。在太極門案中，一方面，太極門弟子、很多台灣一流大學的頂尖學者，他們不是弟子但寫了案件的相關文章；及越來越多的、幾十位國際專家學者、人權活動人士透過會議、研討會和線上論壇談論太極門案，大家都說: 看，這是涉及宗教信仰和自由的問題，也是個人權問題。但另一方面，台灣當局卻說: 抱歉，但針對1992年度訴訟時效已經過期，我們無能為力。但這並非事實。
Because it's an internationally recognized principle that when gross violations of human rights are acknowledged, the situation should always be rectified. And if there is no administrative remedy, there is always a political remedy.
因為國際公認的原則是，嚴重侵犯人權的情況被認可，無論如何都必須被糾正。就算沒有行政救濟措施，也永遠都有政治救濟。
We live in an historical moment when Taiwan needs maximum support from its international friends.
因我們正處在一個歷史時刻，台灣需要國際朋友的最大支持。
But the precondition for this support to be effective is for Taiwan to put its own house in order. And get rid of this ghost of its authoritarian past, settle the scores of the authoritarian past and solve the cases coming from the authoritarian past.
但是這種支持的前提要件是臺灣將自家的事情處理好。擺脫過去威權主義的幽靈，解決威權時期造成的問題，解決威權過去所造成的案件。
And today, the biggest score to be settled, one generating the most massive domestic and international protest is the TJM case. So I come back to where I started from. It is not because we are against Taiwan, it's the contrary, is because we are friends of Taiwan and we want to protect Taiwan in a moment of need. We ask Taiwan, please get rid of this problem, which is damaging you in a crucial historical moment. For you, get rid of this problem. Get rid of your bad past, walk in the path of democracy and solve the TJM case. Thank you.
今天，需要解決的最大問題是，在台灣國內與國際上產生最大規模抗議行動的太極門案。我們提出這個問題並不是因為反對台灣，相反的，因為我們是台灣的朋友，想要在台灣需要的時刻保護台灣。我們敦請台灣，請解決這個在歷史關鍵時刻會傷害你的問題，擺脫糟糕的歷史過去，走向民主的道路，解決太極門案件。謝謝。
【記者賴恩如報導】
圖說：今年12月全球太極門弟子代表第四度在華府進行和平陳抗並首度舉辦國際記者會，引起國際關注。學者稱為法稅228的太極門假案，揭露台灣政府縱容少數官員貪腐真相，長達25年的太極門假案是台灣延續威權遺毒、迫害人權的指標性案件。
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