In this interview series, we get to know the 2024 Freshwater Fellows—a cohort of human rights leaders working with the Freshwater Institute to develop alternative revenue streams for human rights initiatives in East Asia. We wanted to ask them how they got their start in human rights work, the challenges they face, and what they do to stay relaxed and optimistic.
Our second interview is with Ming-Ju Lee (李明洳) of the Judicial Reform Foundation (JRF). JRF aims to harness the power of civil society to promote legal reforms in order to establish a fair, just, and trustworthy judicial system.
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Ming-Ju Lee, Deputy Executive Director of the Judicial Reform Foundation
Freshwater: Tell us about yourself. How did you start working in human rights?
I started working at JRF about five years ago. Before that, I worked at a law firm for about eight or nine months. The work of a lawyer involves dealing with individual cases and has a strong service nature, akin to providing legal services. Later, I thought I could try working in an organization which might be more effective in promoting structural changes. It happened that JRF was hiring and making the transition to a new generation of leaders.
JRF had lawyers assisting the 318 Sunflower Movement on a pro bono basis, holding the state accountable for violence and supporting the promotion of civic movements. Many of the more senior lawyers at JRF went into government and politics, which left some job openings in JRF. This is when I joined. In a way, you could say I stumbled into human rights work by chance.
Freshwater: Freshwater Institute is supporting civil society leaders to develop innovative human rights projects. Can you tell us how your project came about?
JRF is an established 30-year-old organization with a stable and traditional fundraising model. Each year, we hold a fundraising dinner at the end of the year, where lawyers in our network invite their clients or friends to join and contribute. The dinner generally results in large donations, which sustain JRF’s operations.
In 2022, with the appointment of a new chairman, JRF decided to shift towards diversifying our funding sources rather than relying heavily on large donations. However, JRF is relatively unfamiliar with small-scale fundraising. Historically, we have focused more on communicating with lawyers and law students, hoping they would support us by volunteering or donating. Engaging with the general public is a completely new endeavor for JRF. This is also why we joined the Human Rights Accelerator program hoping to receive guidance or at least have someone to discuss ideas with.
In the past, we tried using text and images in Meta ads, but found these ads lacked compelling storytelling. We have long been involved in addressing wrongful conviction cases, dealing with many innocent individuals waiting to be exonerated. Their families continue to endure the same suffering.
One of our clients, Lai Ding-fu’s daughter, picked up a camera to document her father’s story, creating a documentary titled A Letter to Spring Garden. Initially, the film was intended to help clear her father’s name, but it also ended up highlighting the resilience of the family and portraying a warm and touching story. This type of narrative-driven material seems more engaging. We thought it might be possible to discuss the impact of wrongful convictions through storytelling, and thereby attract public support. This led us to use documentaries as our latest marketing strategy.
The Premiere of the Documentary A Letter to Spring Garden
Freshwater: What are some of the challenges you face in this project and in your work in general?
When executing this project, the primary challenge is that a traditional organization faces high communication costs with new fundraising methods. The members of the organization come from different generations, and their communication styles vary, leading to friction and requiring time for coordination. When opinions differ, the tendency is to make more compromised decisions, which may seem less effective in hindsight.
Another difficulty is that while we have previously conducted various advocacy activities and documentary screenings, we have never combined these with fundraising efforts, hoping that participants would help spread the word or donate. Integrating advocacy activities with fundraising leads to skepticism within the organization. Members question why we need to do the same activities again, and they need to see tangible results to believe that this model is feasible.
Freshwater: How has Freshwater Institute’s Human Rights Accelerator Program been helpful to you?
The core of the program is to help NGOs establish business models, which is different from traditional NGO fundraising methods. This in itself can help us face future challenges. We have always found that our funding has stagnated at a certain level, leading us to consider that if the organization is to expand, it will need more funds. We’ve noticed that some organizations have regular, recurring donations, so we are also exploring ways to find new sources of income by our own business model.
The benefit of participating in this program is having more opportunities for discussion. The toolkit and prototyping methods provided by the accelerator program helps us analyze potential partners and clients, determine who we can collaborate with, and identify which target groups we can serve to generate funding. This greatly aids us in developing new business models, inventorying resources, and gaining a deeper understanding of our organization. Although not every project at our foundation is suitable for fundraising, this method allows us to identify the most appropriate fundraising plans for our organization.
Freshwater: If there is one thing you wish people could know about the issue you work on, what would that be?
I want people to know that JRF is currently undergoing generational change and transformation. It’s not just about highlighting issues, but also about understanding that the framework for selecting, deciding, and advocating these issues is changing. Within this new framework, the topics we prioritize will also be different. In the past, we often focused on wrongful convictions and unfit judges and prosecutors. Now, newer issues might include digital justice and gender.
No single issue can fully represent the current scope of our foundation. I don’t want the foundation to appear as though we are abandoning our original focus on wrongful convictions and unfit judges and prosecutors, but I also don’t want it to seem like we’ve been addressing the same issues for the past 30 years. We’re still committed to judicial reform and legal issues. As times evolve, the issues we prioritize will also change accordingly. It is challenging to pinpoint a specific issue we prioritize, as the law itself needs to evolve with the times. Therefore, the nature of our organization and the issues we focus on must also adapt to the changing times.
Freshwater: What keeps you motivated?
Some of our more senior colleagues believe that maintaining direct contact with the people on the front lines helps them stay passionate about their work. However, my motivation is more related to my partners. Our organization has many like-minded individuals, some of whom have been with JRF since its inception. When I see these colleagues working hard, feeling exhausted, and needing help with their tasks, I feel compelled to contribute more.
To be honest, I wasn’t initially very concerned with the issues our foundation focuses on, partly because I have friends who are judges and prosecutors, and I didn’t want to constantly challenge them. However, after interacting more frequently with wrongful conviction victims, I’ve seen firsthand how long and hard they’ve fought without results. This experience has made me realize that compared to other non-NGO jobs, this work provides me with a greater sense of value.
There’s still a lot of work to be done in judicial reform. Seeing the ongoing need for effort and witnessing the dedication of both the victims and my colleagues inspires me to continue.
Ming-Ju Lee, Deputy Executive Director of the Judicial Reform Foundation, with former wrongful conviction victims Chien-ho Su (left) and Tzu-chiang Hsu (right) at a fundraising banquet.
Freshwater: What is something you do for fun or to relax?
On regular weekends, if I don’t have work, I need to spend a lot of time “staying at home.” However, during workdays, I go for a run during lunch, and playing with my dog at home helps me relax. I used to be quite an introverted person, and staying at home and sleeping were great ways for me to recharge. But because this job requires a certain level of interaction with people, I’ve become a bit more outgoing. Now, socializing with friends also helps me recharge, so I often invite friends over to cook together (although I’m not the one doing the cooking).
Freshwater: Thinking of the human rights issue you are working on, what would success feel like to you? What would make you feel like it was all worth it?
For JRF, the goals vary at each stage, but we have a particular mode of interaction with the authorities: if our plans are adopted by the government, we consider it a success. For example, we started doing mock trials very early on, specifically campus mock trials. Later, when the Citizen Judges Act was implemented, the Judicial Yuan also began conducting mock trials, which means our model is effective. Additionally, we have been conducting evaluations of judges and prosecutors for ten years. We hope that in the future, the Judges Evaluation Committee and the Prosecutors Evaluation Committee will become officially mandated bodies under the Judges Act, adopting this complaint model for the authorities to manage themselves. We also hope the government will establish a permanent organization to track and monitor judicial reform resolutions as a benchmark for the rule of law in the country.
Personally, one of the most rewarding aspects is seeing colleagues stay on with the JRF even after getting married and having children. In the past, the JRF’s budget could only afford to hire fresh graduates in their early twenties. Anyone facing even a slight economic pressure to start a family had to leave and find other work. Now, the JRF can afford to hire full-time lawyers, and some colleagues can actually stay on after having children. The JRF can support those who wish to stay and accommodate colleagues at different stages of their careers. I find this quite commendable.
JRF distributed Spring Festival couplets in Dadaocheng to raise awareness for wrongful conviction cases.
思流學院人權加速器參與者系列專訪：民間司法改革基金會副執行長李明洳
在這個系列專訪中，我們將介紹思流學院 2023-24人權加速器計劃參與者，這九位人權領袖與思流學院合作，為東亞人權倡議活動開發新型態收入來源。我們想了解他們如何開始從事人權工作、他們所面臨的挑戰，以及他們如何放鬆身心並保持樂觀。
本系列第二組專訪對象為民間司法改革基金會（以下簡稱「司改會」）副執行長李明洳，司改會期望結合民間力量，持續推動改革，由下而上建立公平、正義、值得人民信賴的司法。
司改會副執行長李明洳
- 可不可以和我們聊聊，你是如何開始從事人權工作的？
我大概五年前開始到司改會工作，之前曾在律師事務所工作大約八、九個月，律師的工作就是面對個案，服務性質很強，有點像是在做法律服務業，後來想說可以嘗試到組織工作，也許更能在結構上面推動改變，剛好又遇上司改會開缺，處於世代交替換血的階段。
司改會有義務律師協助三一八太陽花運動，不論是對國家暴力咎責或是協助推動公民運動，後來許多司改會裡比較資深的律師陸續轉往政治發展，因此出現人力斷層，我就進入司改會工作，進來之後花一些時間在做三一八太陽花運動義務律師平台的收尾工作，有點算是陰錯陽差接觸到人權工作。
- 思流學院旨在協助公民社會領袖發展創新的人權加速器計畫，請介紹一下你的計畫並聊聊你的進度。
司改會是一個運作了三十年的老組織，已經建立了穩定又傳統的募款模式，我們每一年差不多都會在年底舉辦募款餐會，透過參與的律師人拉客戶或朋友參加募款，每一年大概都是靠這樣子維持司改會營運的費用，這種傳統的募款模式通常都會收到比較大額的捐款。
2022年，司改會新任董事長上任後，比較希望組織可以發展更多元的財源，不要只偏重大額捐款，但司改會對小額募款比較陌生，我們過去比較少為大眾轉譯議題，比較常和律師說話或法律系學生對話，希望他們透過參與，給予不同程度的支持，不管是當志工，還是因此有捐款。和大眾接觸對司改會來說是完全新的嘗試，這也是我們參與人權加速器計畫的初衷，我們期待可以在這個嘗試的過程中，能夠獲得一些引導，或至少有人可以討論。
司改會以前也嘗試過用文字或是圖片放在Meta的廣告推播，但我們覺得這些廣告的故事性比較不夠。我們長期都在救援冤案，會接觸到很多的當事人，這些無辜的當事人一直還沒被平反，他們的家屬其實也一直在經歷相同的痛苦。
我們其中一位當事人賴丁甫的女兒拿起了攝影機拍攝他的故事，製作成紀錄片《春圃家書》，本來只是想幫他爸爸平反，但後來影片拍出來，反而看到了家庭的韌性，比較溫馨的故事，這樣的影片比較有劇情和故事，我們想說是不是有可能用這種軟性的素材來談論冤案的影響，進而吸引大眾支持我們，所以才開始用紀錄片來做這一次的行銷計畫。
紀錄片《春圃家書》首映會
- 請說說你在這個計畫和工作裡遇到的一些困難
在執行這個計畫時遇到的困難主要是，一個比較傳統的組織面對新的募款方式，有時會需要很高的溝通成本，組織的成員來自不同世代，溝通方式也不太一樣，大家就會產生摩擦，需要花時間協調，大家意見不同時就會傾向做出較為折衷的決定，這個較為折衷的決定事後看起來可能比較沒有效果。
另外一個困難點是，以前我們也做過不少類似的倡議活動，也做過播放紀錄片這種活動，但從來沒有在這些倡議活動中向大眾募款，希望參與活動的朋友能幫我們多多宣傳或捐款支持。結合倡議活動和募款的模式，就會面臨到組織內部質疑的聲音，他們會認為以前不是也辦過這樣的活動嗎？為什麼還要再做一樣的事？他們會需要真的看到成果，才會認為這種模式是可行的。
- 加速器計畫如何幫助你面對眼前的挑戰？
加速器計畫的核心是幫助NGO建立商業模式，這和以往NGO的募款方式不一樣，這件事本身就可以幫助我們面對未來的挑戰。我們一直以來募到的資金大多都停在一個數字，這也讓我們思考，如果組織要擴大，會需要比較多資金，我們看到某些組織的資金來源也有定期定額，因此，我們也會思考如何找到原本收入以外的新的財源，如何建立自己的商業模式。
參與計畫的好處就是比較有討論的對象，加速器計劃提供的工具包和原型設計方法幫助我們分析合作對象和客戶，可以和誰合作，可以透過服務哪些對象獲得資金，對我們展開新的商業模式、盤點資源、更認識自己組織有很多幫助。雖然不是每一件司改會在做的事情都適合募款，但我們透過這一套方法可以找出最適合我們組織募款的計劃。
- 就你關注的議題而言，如果你只能讓大眾知道一件事，那會是什麼？
我希望讓大眾知道司改會現在正經歷世代交替和轉型，不只是要讓大家能看到議題，而是讓大家了解篩選、決定、倡議這些議題的框架正在改變，在這個框架下，我們更重視的主題也會不一樣。我們過去常關注的就是冤案、不適任法官和檢察官，現在新興一點的議題可能是數位法治、也有性別。
沒有任何一個議題可以完全概括現在的司改會，我不希望司改會看起來似乎背離我們原本就在關注的冤案和不適任法官、檢察官，但也不想看起來好像三十年來都只會做同樣的議題。總而言之，我們還是在做司法改革和法律相關的議題，隨著時代的演進，我們重視的議題也會不斷跟著改變，所以很難只說我們特別重視哪個議題，法律本來就是需要與時俱進，所以我們組織的性格和關注的議題也是要隨著時代演進而變動。
- 是什麼讓你保持動力？
我們組織裡一些比較資深的同仁可能會認為持續和第一線的民眾接觸，可以幫助他們保持工作的熱忱，但讓我保持動力的原因可能和夥伴比較有關。組織裡有很多志同道合的夥伴，有些同仁甚至是從司改會成立的時候就在了，看到司改會他們還在努力、工作得很忙很累、需要幫忙分工時，我就會覺得我也多做一點好了。
老實說，我一開始對司改會關注的議題相對比較沒那麼在意，因為我也有朋友是法官和檢察官，我不想一直針對他們，但當我和冤案當事人接觸比較頻繁後，也會看到他們的案子確實已經努力非常久，但還是沒有結果，所以也會覺得比起其他非NGO的工作，這些工作似乎可以為我帶來更多一點點的價值感。
總結而言，因為司法改革還有非常多需要努力的地方，看到之後也會覺得很值得繼續投入，當事人和同仁的努力也會鼓舞著我繼續前進。
司改會副執行長李明洳於募款餐會與前冤案當事人蘇建和（左一）和徐自強（右一）合影
- 平時你都做些什麼事放鬆？
平常週休二日如果沒有工作，我需要花很多時間「待在家裡」，但我在工作日中午都會去跑步一下，回家玩狗也可以讓我放鬆。我其實以前算是偏內向的人，待在家、睡覺對我來說就是很好的充電方式，但因為這份工作需要一定程度地接觸人群，我也開始變得外向一點點，所以現在和朋友聚會也可以讓我充電，我也比較常邀朋友來家裡一起煮飯（不過當然不是我煮）。
- 面對你正在處理的人權問題，怎麼樣對你來說算是成功呢？怎麼樣會讓你覺得一切都是值得的？
對司改會而言，每個階段的目標都不一樣，但我們會有一個和官方的互動模式：如果我們的計劃被官方沿用，那我們也算是成功了。例如：我們非常早期就開始做模擬法庭，我們當時做的是校園模擬法庭，後來國民法官法上路時，司法院也開始做模擬法庭，那就代表這個模式有效。另外，我們也做了十年的法官、檢察官評鑑，希望未來法官評鑑委員會和檢察官評鑑委員會可以成為法官法裡面正式規定的這個組織，沿用這樣的申訴模式，讓官方自己來做。我們也希望政府能夠設立一個常設性組織，追蹤和監督司法改革決議，作為一個國家的法治指標。
就我自己而言，其實我認為最值得的事之一是，看到組織裡的同仁結婚和生小孩後，繼續留在司改會工作。因為過去司改會的預算可能只能請二十三、四歲的社會新鮮人，只要稍微有一點點經濟壓力要成家立業，就必須離職找其他工作，一直到現在司改會請得起專職律師，也有同事真的可以在生小孩後繼續留在司改會工作，司改會可以支撐這些願意留下來的同仁，容納不同階段入職的同仁，我覺得這是挺難能可貴的。
司改會於大稻埕發放「信福和順」春聯為冤案當事人發聲