Controversy spreads over Bei City police's search of BDSM gay bars, with several congressmen and candidates reporting illegal searches

The Taipei City Police's recent search of the Commander D gay bar triggered a controversy over excessive law enforcement. Although Taipei City Police Chief Lin Yantian promptly punished the officers involved in the case and the supervisor, the case continues to spread. The Taiwan Forward Front Alliance believes that what the police department has done is administrative punishment rather than criminal punishment. The police officers' actions have involved crimes such as coercion, illegal searches, and deprivation of freedom of movement. Therefore, after collecting relevant evidence today, they reported the police officers involved to the Taipei District Prosecutor's Office.

Several city council candidates from the "Taiwan Forward Front" composed of the Power of the Times, Taiwan Foundation, the Taiwan Green Party, and the Obasan Alliance for People's Participation in Politics believe that this case violates human rights and cannot just end with internal police punishment. The people present were detained from 6 pm to 9 pm. They were not even allowed to drink water, and those present were not allowed to dress at the search site.

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Li Huixuan, a Taipei City Council candidate and lawyer of the Obasan Alliance for Small People's Participation in Politics, said that in accordance with Articles 128 and 148 of the Criminal Procedure Law, search tickets should be used and presented, but the police in this case could only show the search ticket to the person in charge of the bar, and the search results After the incident, 51 people were taken away from the scene; the police did not show search tickets to the rest of the people, nor did they indicate whether it was for arrest or other legal reasons, but put people under the control of the police and took them back to the police station, which may constitute the crime of deprivation of freedom of movement under Article 302 of the Criminal Law.

Li Huixuan said that the police immediately prohibited people from wearing clothes and threatened them with "Don't go out later." This went beyond the necessary level of search and hindered people from exercising their rights. When people left the venue, they were asked to open their backpacks for inspection. If there was no legitimate reason, it may involve crimes of coercion and illegal search. Furthermore, the sidewalk outside the bar is no longer a place subject to search. The police choked ordinary people and restricted their movements, and it is even more difficult to say that they were performing their duties legally.

Li Huixuan pointed out that he called on the Beijing Police Department to investigate the case as soon as possible and preserve the on-site surveillance footage, police secret recorders and police evidence collection images. Do not claim that the data was damaged at the time. The Taipei City Police Department should actively cooperate with the judicial investigation and explain the legal basis for the disputed law enforcement that day.

The Taipei City police raided gay bars for inappropriate words and deeds, and were criticized for excessive enforcement and discrimination. Police Chief Lin Yantian said the day before yesterday that the search was carried out in accordance with the law, but it was true that four police officers made inappropriate remarks and were reprimanded twice each. Wanhua Branch Chief Chen Yonghua and the investigation team leader were jointly punished.