The monument is intended specifically as a memorial to the victims of Taiwan's "white terror," which began in 1949-50 when the ROC declared martial law and enacted the Measures to Eradicate Espionage during the Period of Communist Rebellion and ended with the repeal of martial law in 1987.
紀念碑銘記的是自民國三十八年政府實施戒嚴，及三十九年公佈「戡亂時期檢肅匪諜條例」等措施，到民國七十六年解除戒嚴期間，被冤屈逮捕、拘禁的民眾，即所謂「白色恐怖時期」的受害者。