President Lai mourns passing of White Terror victim Tsai Kuan-yu

Taipei, Sept. 6 (CNA) President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) on Friday offered his condolences to the family of White Terror victim Tsai Kuan-yu (蔡寬裕), who died a day earlier at the age of 91, according to Presidential Office spokesperson Karen Kuo (郭雅慧).

"May [Tsai's] spirit of unwavering dedication to the work of transitional justice and deep affection for Taiwan remain with us forever," Kuo cited Lai as saying in a statement, noting that the president was "saddened" by the passing of Tsai and expressed condolences to Tsai's family.

Kuo specifically mentioned Tsai's involvement in a civil society group advocating the rights of those who were politically persecuted during the martial law period from 1949 to 1987.

The spokeswoman added that Tsai was also a "key proponent" of the introduction of the Act on Promoting Transitional Justice in Taiwan, paving the way for more government efforts to restore the truth behind state wrongdoings during the White Terror era and compensate those adversely affected.

The White Terror refers to a period of political repression in Taiwan by the-then Kuomintang government from 1949-1992.

Born on Feb. 5, 1933 in Taipei, Tsai had been imprisoned twice for a total of 13 years between the 1950s and 1960s.

He was first targeted by the authorities in 1957 and detained for about six months after being accused of inciting his classmates to strike in protest against the government's handling of the killing of a Taiwanese national by an U.S. military officer, which was later known as the Liu Zi-ran (劉自然) incident.

In 1962, when Tsai was teaching at and managing an institute providing after-school classes, he was apprehended again for his suspected involvement in pro-Taiwanese independence activities.

This time, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

He was initially imprisoned in New Taipei but was later transferred to Taitung, where he was embroiled in an attempt by a group of activists outside the prison to occupy the facility by force as part of their pro-Taiwanese activities.

Tsai had agreed to help open the prison gate for the group but the anti-government plan was busted before he could take any action.

As a result, Tsai received an additional three years of imprisonment.

After Tsai was released in May 1975, he launched a shoe manufacturing business in Taichung with his friends.

He began actively calling for government redress for political prisoners during the White Terror era after the lifting of martial law in 1987.

In his later years, he continued to volunteer at the National Human Rights Museum, where he gave lectures and guided tours regularly to young visitors.