Taiwan court acquits man for online threats against President Lai Ching-te

A court in Changhua has acquitted a man who posted online threats against Taiwan President Lai Ching-te, including statements such as “I want to rise up and kill Lai Ching-te’s whole family” and calling him a “trash president.”

The defendant, identified by the surname Huang, admitted to the posts but argued they were expressions of frustration regarding the President's administration. The prosecution had charged him with public intimidation and endangering security.

The judge ruled that the posts did not constitute public intimidation because the target was specifically the President rather than an unspecified group of people. Furthermore, the court found that since the posts did not tag the President's account or explicitly request others to share them, there was no evidence the victim actually received the threats. The case was initiated by netizens reporting the posts rather than a direct complaint from the President.

The Changhua District Prosecutors Office has criticized the ruling, stating the judge misapplied the law. Prosecutors intend to appeal, arguing that threats against a head of state in public spaces can cause widespread panic and violate social security, regardless of whether the target is a specific individual.