Huang Hua (activist)

Huang Hua (Chinese: 黃華; born 16 August 1939)^[1] is a Taiwanese activist. He was repeatedly jailed for advocating Taiwanese independence and democratization. Huang spent over twenty years in prison and was named a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International.

A native of Keelung born in 1939,^[2][3] Huang worked with Lei Chen in 1960 to form a political party, the China Democracy Party [zh], with several others.^[4][5] As Taiwan was under martial law at the time, the pair's actions were illegal.^[6][7] Huang contested the Keelung City Council election of 1963, but was arrested before completing registration, and jailed for two and a half years.^[3][4] In 1967, Huang cofounded the Society to Promote the Unity of Taiwanese Youth, and was charged with sedition. Sentenced to ten years imprisonment, he was granted amnesty in 1975.^[4] Huang then worked for Kuo Yu-hsin [zh] and the tangwai publication Taiwan Political Review, run by Kang Ning-hsiang.^[4] Though Kang asked him to carefully consider his involvement, Huang joined the Review in December 1975, as a deputy editor.^[8] Soon after the Review was suspended, Huang opened a noodle shop with Chang Chun-hung.^[9] In July 1976, Huang was arrested for his writings in the Review.^[10] During his third prison term, Huang was designated a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International.^[11][12] His mother died in February 1984,^[4] and Huang was prohibited from leaving Green Island to attend her funeral, held the next month.^[13] Huang began a hunger strike in April 1985, to show solidarity with fellow political prisoner Shih Ming-teh.^[12][14][15] Though it was reported that Huang began eating in August, he chose to continue his protest in September.^[16] Huang was moved to Jen-ai Prison in 1986.^[2]

After Huang was paroled in 1987,^[17] he joined the Association of Political Prisoners.^[18] Later, Huang organized a nationwide march for independence in November 1988.^[19] The following year, Huang formally founded the New Nation Alliance [zh], linked to a movement of the same name.^[20][21] He was barred from contesting the 1989 legislative elections because limitations on his civil rights were still in effect.^[22] For his association with the New Nation movement, Huang was convicted of sedition by the Taiwan High Court shortly after the elections were held.^[23] Subsequently, backed by the Democratic Progressive Party,^[24][25] Huang Hua declared his candidacy for the presidency,^[23] a symbolic move and violation of electoral law,^[23][26] as the president of the Republic of China was selected by the National Assembly, not directly elected by popular vote. President Lee Teng-hui fully restored Huang's civil rights in May 1990.^[27] Despite Lee's action, Huang was arrested after attending the funeral of Liu Wen-hsiung in November.^[28][29] Huang was sentenced to another ten years in prison,^[25] and did not appeal.^[28] He was not considered for amnesty in January 1991.^[26][28] His continued imprisonment was described by United States Senators Ted Kennedy, Claiborne Pell, Joe Lieberman, John Kerry, and Paul Wellstone as a "serious setback" to Taiwan's democratization in a letter to Lee Teng-hui.^[30] Lin Tsung-kuang nominated Huang for the Nobel Peace Prize later that month, and a march protesting Huang's imprisonment was held in February.^[30] By May, Huang had become Taiwan's final political prisoner.^[26] After Huang's imprisonment came to international attention, the Legislative Yuan began discussing revisions to Article 100 [zh] of the Criminal Code [zh].^[31] He remained in prison through the National Assembly elections held in December 1991.^[32] After Article 100 of the Criminal Code was amended in May 1992, Huang was released.^[33][34]

Huang began fasting on 19 May 2019 in support of a petition advocating Taiwan independence. He called for small political parties and other political organizations to form a coalition and replace the Kuomintang as Taiwan's second major party.^[35][36] During his hunger strike, Huang's conversion to Christianity was overseen by a Presbyterian Church in Taiwan official.^[37] Supporters of Huang's hunger strike included several former members of the Democratic Progressive Party, who called for a new political party advocating Taiwan independence to be established.^[38] Huang ended his hunger strike after 52 days, and agreed to go to the hospital on 9 July 2019.^[39]

Huang served in the presidential administration of Chen Shui-bian as a national policy adviser.^[40] He also assumed the chairmanship of the Taiwan-Mongolia Exchange Association.^[41][42] In 2005, he left the Democratic Progressive Party for the Taiwan Solidarity Union.^[43] Upon the founding of the Taiwan National Party [zh] in July 2011, Huang served as its first chairman.^[44][45] Under his leadership, the TNP nominated its founder Chang Mung-hsieh as presidential candidate for the 2012 elections,^[46] and joined with other civic organizations to sue the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office Special Investigation Panel.^[47] Huang was succeeded by acting chairman Kao Chin-lang before Tsai Chin-lung took office in 2013.^[48]

Huang's wife Wu Pao-yu served on the Taoyuan County Council.^[25][49]