Almost a year after their warrantless arrest, detention and prosecution for alleged illegal possession of firearms and explosives, on Jan. 15 Rafael Baylosis and Roque Guillermo were ordered freed by a Quezon City court. Baylosis is a peace consultant of the...
“The release of Baylosis is a victory, but hundreds more remain languishing in jails across the country. Along with the kin of political prisoners, other human rights advocates, and human rights lawyers, we will continue to work for the dismissal of charges against trumped-up charges against political prisoners."
“Baylosis’s defense poked holes into their story, pointed out not only lapses but grievous procedural mistakes, and thus exposed concerted, malicious efforts to fabricate the charges.”
“Our lawyers have provided and complied with all their supposed requirements.”
'Political prisoners are at a disadvantage in cases such as these, where conviction may be had on the sole testimony of the arresting officer.'
“He is a publicly known person involved in advancing the peace process.”
"With his arrest reminiscent of Marcos' crackdown, this demonstrates how no person now is safe from the vicious and vindictive Duterte administration. As always, brute force and circumvention of the law are hallmarks of abuse of power and tyranny."
The petitioners maintained that public prosecutor Rosulo Vivero committed “prosecutorial misconduct when he knowingly used recycled and falsified evidence as basis to file multiple murder charges.”
By RONALYN V. OLEA
Jurgette Honculada, a member of the GPH panel, said, “For peace talks to go back on track, the CPP-NPA-NDFP should disavow armed struggle.”
By RONALYN V. OLEA
Forging the Comprehensive Agreement on Socio-Economic Reforms (Caser) is said to be the “meat” of the negotiations as it aims to resolve the root causes of poverty and lack of development in the Philippines.
Related Stories: Philippines Eyes Peace Pact with Reds in 3 Years as Talks Resume | Reporter’s Notebook: Covering the Peace Talks in Oslo | Caser Negotiations Will Be Tougher -- Jalandoni
By ALEXANDER MARTIN REMOLLINO
The issuance of questionable safe-conduct passes is just one of the many complicated ways in which the Philippine government has been handling what were supposed to be preparations for the resumption of its formal talks with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines. It underscores what the NDFP deems to be an utter lack of sincerity of the Arroyo regime to pursue the peace process.
“How can we claim to be under a democracy when a political prisoner continues to languish in jail even as all the trumped-up charges filed against her have already been dismissed?”
BY ALEXANDER MARTIN REMOLLINO Bulatlat Posted 4:23 p.m. March 15, 2007 “We don't want them dead.” This is what the wives of four political activists accused of murder said when asked in a press conference earlier this afternoon whether they would advise their...
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