Hon. Yao Chia-wen is a famous lawyer and legal professor in Taiwan. He served as the President of the Examination Yuan and was appointed as one of the Senior Advisors of President Chen Shui-bian in 2000.
Hon. Yao co-founded the “Legal Aid Centre” in 1972 after attending the University of California at Berkeley as a visiting scholar. In 1975 he defended many political cases and became active in human rights and political activities.
In 1970, hon. Yao was arrested and sentenced to 12 years in prison for his involvement in political demonstration. He served in prison for seven years and became the Chairperson of the Democratic Progressive Party after his release. Under his chairpersonship, the party adopted the “Programme for the Sovereign Independence of Taiwan”. He was then elected a member of the Legislative Yuan in 1992.
Hon. Yao served as CALD Secretary General from 1995-1997.
