The raid on BDSM bars in Ximending triggered a human rights controversy, and groups went to Bei City Hall to protest

Commander D, a BDSM bar in Ximending, Taipei City, was recently searched by the police with a search ticket, sparking controversy over excessive law enforcement, discrimination and human rights. Taiwan's Green Party, LGBT and disability groups protested in front of the Taipei City Government this afternoon, demanding that the Taipei City Government launch an independent investigation with external supervision, publish the results of law enforcement and surveillance records within one week, and demand the establishment of clear regulations for inspections and searches of diverse gender and erotic venues.

Green Party Taipei City Councilor candidate Wang Zhenting said that the police entered the bar with a search ticket on the evening of October 3, but the customers at the scene were not the search targets. The police still took nearly 60 people back to the police station for violating the "Social Order Maintenance Law" and later called them "witnesses." He questioned whether the search ticket authorization scope included on-site customers? And why the police were able to take away the person in charge and customers, search personal belongings, and even ask some people to go shirtless without arresting tickets.

Jiang Yunsheng, the lawyer appointed in this case, pointed out that according to his understanding, the scope of the general search ticket mainly targets the defendant himself or his business and living space, and cannot of course extend to the persons of other people in the same place. He alleged that the police directly conducted physical searches of consumers on the scene that day, which may have exceeded the scope of the search tickets. In addition, the police asked customers to keep them and take them to the police station, and even asked for cooperation with words such as "Follow me or I will be handcuffed." He believed that if there is doubt about the crime of coercion, the city government and the police station should explain the legal basis.

Jiang Yunsheng also questioned that some people were subsequently informed that the Social Security Law was involved, but there is still doubt whether the application of relevant provisions is consistent with the situation on the scene. He said that the police have not given a complete explanation of why the customers were taken away or punished.

Yao Huiyao, chairman of the Sex Industry Labor Rights Promotion Association, said that there were no specific victims of drugs, sexual violence, sexual exploitation or minors at the scene that night, but a large number of people were taken to the police station, raising questions about whether law enforcement was affected by the "good customs" framework. He believes that current relevant laws and regulations can easily stigmatize sex workers and gender-diverse groups in practice. He calls on the central government to re-examine the sex industry governance model, and also requires the Beijing Municipal Government to investigate law enforcement practices involving human rights violations and discrimination.

Wan Zonglun, director of the Taiwan Disability Research Society, pointed out that if the police indeed use words such as "disability" to humiliate disabled customers, they should announce the facts and reasons for the punishment, apologize to the parties involved, and invite disability and gender groups to review law enforcement guidelines. Peng Zhiliu, deputy secretary-general of the Taiwan Gay and Lesbian Counseling Hotline Association, emphasized that gay venues and the practice of consensual eroticism are not crimes. The Taipei City Government should review the police’s bias in law enforcement against gender diversity and cannot just use education and training to get rid of it. Lin Weiren, secretary-general of the Taiwan Guanghuan Association, called for clarification of the legality and proportionality of search and retrieval procedures, and the inclusion of gay culture, physical and mental disabilities, sexual autonomy and trauma awareness into regular police education.

The scene included Wang Wanyu, chairman of the Times Power Party, Wu Xindai, a city council candidate for Neihu Nangang District in Taipei, Li Huixuan, a city council candidate for Datong District, Zhongshan, Taipei, and others who expressed their support. They demanded that the secret recorders be released and the basis for law enforcement be clarified. If police officers are involved in illegal abuse of power, they should be held accountable in accordance with the law.

The Green Party put forward four demands, including immediately initiating an independent investigation with external supervision, keeping the encrypted devices, monitors, service and search records intact, and publishing the investigation results within one week while taking into account privacy; incorporating diverse gender and disability equality rights into law enforcement, assessment and accountability; stopping directly equating gay venues, erotic culture or BDSM practices with crime; and establishing inspection and search regulations for erotic and diverse gender venues to protect privacy, complaint and relief rights.

In response, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wanan also apologized during an interview this morning, agreeing that everyone should enjoy equal rights, deeply regretting the gender discrimination that occurred in the police's execution of public powers, and promising to strictly review and strengthen police discipline.