A human rights group here appealed to President Rodrigo
Duterte to release all political prisoners who are still languishing in jail,
including the wrongly convicted prisoners.
Karapatan (Rights), a rights group in Northern Mindanao,
issued the appeal Monday as the second round of formal peace talks between the
government and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) resumes
in Oslo , Norway
The group said the general amnesty and release of all
political prisoners is an "issue of justice for activists and political
dissenters who were illegally arrested, detained and some, wrongly convicted,
for crimes they did not commit”.
“We urge the Duterte administration to render justice to
political prisoners, their families and the communities they serve by making
good its commitment to release [them],” said Karapatan secretary general
Cristina Palabay in the statement released to the media Monday.
One of the provisions negotiators from both sides had agreed
during the first round of the peace talks to recommend to the President the
issuance of an “Amnesty Proclamation” to all detained political prisoners
subject to concurrence of Congress.
Peace panelists wanted President Duterte to free detainees
who are listed by the NDFP and who have been “arrested, imprisoned, charged,
and/or convicted for the alleged acts or omissions within the ambit of the
Revised Penal Code or special laws in connection with alleged crimes in pursuit
of one’s political beliefs”.
Karapatan said that other political detainees lauded the
government for releasing on bail 21 of their colleagues, the majority of whom
were NDFP peace consultants, last August.
The group added it also expects the release of three wrongly
convicted NDFP peace consultants, “at the soonest possible time to enable their
full participation in the ongoing peace talks”.
Convicted were Eduardo Serrano from Eastern Visayas,
Leopoldo Caloza and Emeterio Antalan from Central Luzon .
Kaparatan said that the three have been serving prison time
for false charges filed against them.
“Just and lasting peace can be achieved by addressing the
needs and democratic interests of the marginalized sectors. We need to maximize
the knowledge and experience of people who worked with the poor, such as
Sarmiento, Caloza and Antalan. We hope that they will be released immediately,”
Palabay said.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=928349
KARAPATAN (Alliance for the Advancement of People's Rights) is the main Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) human rights front organization with chapters active throughout the Philippines. As this group sees it, all arrested. detained or convicted members of the New People's Army or the National Democratic Front, should be released prior to the conduct of substantive peace negotiations between the government and the CPP.
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