On Saturday, March 5, 2011, Freddy Lim addressed the crowd of young people at his concert in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. He was somber, and at times angry. He paid homage to the five prisoners killed by Taiwan's Justice Ministry on Friday evening. The resumption of capital punishment in Taiwan has been seen as controversial and has been criticized by the international community.
There are many reasons why the resumption of the death penalty has been especially poignant in Taiwan, as Freddy Lim explains, "The main issue is that every legal system has the ability to make mistakes, and when a prisoner is killed, there is no opportunity to fix the mistake. Taiwan historically has lost many innocent souls to a politically-oriented justice system, and the scars of the past have not healed."
Freddy Lim, the vocalist of the popular metal band Chthonic is no stranger to expressing his outrage over political and human rights issues. When he isn't rocking the crowd at a concert somewhere in the world, he is meeting international human rights leaders, or speaking to a group of young people about the importance of speaking out about one's rights. Freddy's no-fear attitude has earned him the position of being the chairman of Amnesty International in Taiwan and leader of other organizations.
Wherever he goes, he is an advocate that raises awareness about Taiwan, human rights issues, and indigenous rights issues. When asked why he chose to be an advocate aside from his music career, he said, "Life is short, and there is too little time to cheat myself out of having the opportunity to make a difference."
After completing their concert at the 2011 MeGaPort Music Festival in Kaohsiung, Taiwan Freddy and Chthonic prepared for their next concert in London. Chthonic is a metal band from Taiwan known for their meaningful and high-energy messages derived from Taiwanese folklore and indigenous stories. Their songs teach their fans about history and social justice, as well as entertain them with intensity.
