Karapatan stressed that the president is capable of releasing
political prisoners as he did when he released rebel soldiers. “All he
has to have is the political will to release those who are wrongly
imprisoned.” – Marie Hilao-Enriquez, Karapatan.
By
RONALYN V. OLEA
Bulatlat.com
MANILA – Seventy-seven activists have been charged with fabricated
charges under the new Aquino administration, according to human rights
group Karapatan.
Karapatan said of the 360 political prisoners all over the country,
77 were arrested under the Aquino administration, 247 during the Arroyo
administration and 21 before the Arroyo administration. Thirty are
women, 11 belong to the elderly and 28 are sick, Karapatan records show.
The group, along with Samahan ng Ex-detainees laban sa Detensyon at
Aresto (Selda), joined the fasting staged by hundreds of political
prisoners from various detention cells beginning Sept. 13.
“Among the notorious legacies of the Marcos dictatorship was the
illegal arrest and detention of political prisoners who fought against
the corrupt and repressive regime. Such reality exists to this day, with
360 political prisoners languishing in jails for fabricated and
trumped-up charges because of the exercise of their political beliefs
that run counter to those of the powers running our government,” Angie
Ipong, former political prisoner and Selda secretary general, said.
“President Aquino should look at the mirror of history twice when he
likens activist organizations to a dictatorship. His administration is
actually carrying on the more vivid legacy of a dictatorship with such
rights violations under his term,” Ipong said, referring to Aquino’s
remarks against the League of Filipino Students (LFS) in his recent
speech.
This is the second time political prisoners and their supporters held
a fast to demand for general, unconditional and omnibus amnesty. The
first was held in July in time for President Aquino’s second State of
the Nation Address (Sona).
Karapatan stressed that the president is capable of releasing
political prisoners as he did when he released rebel soldiers. “All he
has to have is the political will to release those who are wrongly
imprisoned,” Marie Hilao-Enriquez, Karapatan chairwoman, said.
Supporters hold a sympathy fasting in front of the Philippine National Police’s headquarters, Sept. 13.(Photo courtesy of Karapatan / bulatlat.com)
Under Aquino, only six political prisoners have so far been released,
including Ipong, and consultants of the National Democratic Front of
the Philippines (NDFP) namely Jovencio Balweg, Jaime Soledad, Glicerio
Pernia and Maria Luisa Purcray. Multiple common crimes filed against
them have been dismissed.
In a message, Sandino Esguerra, a political prisoner who has been
detained for more than ten years at Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City,
said Aquino “has no reason not to heed their demand for freedom.”
Emeterio Antalan, another political prisoner detained at Camp Bagong
Diwa, said, “In the name of matuwid na daan (straight path), Aquino must
release political prisoners.”
Criminalizing activism
“The political prisoners are falsely accused of crimes they have not
committed, contrary to Aquino’s continued mantra that his government is
for human rights,” Enriquez said.
Enriquez said such practice intends “to hide the government’s political persecution of those it labels as enemies of the state.”....
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Source: Bulatlat.com
URL:
http://bulatlat.com/main/2011/09/15/filing-of-%E2%80%98trumped-up-charges%E2%80%99-vs-activists-continue-under-aquino/