Investigators claimed that Bo Yang was a communist spy who had attacked the nation's leadership, and sentenced him to 12 years. They shipped him off to a military prison in 1969, then removed him to Green Island three years later. Pressure from Amnesty International and other human rights organizations ultimately led to his release in 1977.
1975 年，蔣中正過世，柏楊減刑為 8 年，但 1976 年刑滿後仍被留置於綠島，後來因國際特赦組織等人權團體的要求才被釋放。