Our Old Fashioned Typewriters Confiscated By A Bigoted Little Fascist

Last Thursday, February 23, custodial forces led by the chief of the PNP Camp Crame Custodial Center himself, P/Supt. Cesar Magsino, launched a sudden search operation into our detention cells.

It was obvious that the old fashoined typewriters that we NDF peace consultants detained here have been using were the foremost target of the operation. Right at the onset of the search operation, the officer on duty for the day informed us that our typewriters were specifically ordered by their commanding officer to be seized. Our typewriters were in fact the very first things to be confiscated in the operation. Just to make an apperance that they were conducting a general search operation, they also perfunctorily, arbitrarily, and inconsistently seized from other prisoners at random a few empty bottles, empty cans, metal eating utensils and a portable DVD player.

Political Prisoner Complains of Censorship

In a complaint letter sent to the National Democratic Front peace panel, Office of the Presidential Assistant to the Peace Process (OPAPP), Commission on Human Rights (CHR) and Sec. Jesse Robredo of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), political prisoner and NDFP peace consultant Alan Jazmines complained of confiscation of the typewriters used by the peace consultants detained at the PNP Custodial Center, Camp Crame.

The incident took place on February 23, when, according to Jazmines,” the chief of the custodial center, P/Supt. Cesar Magsino ordered a sudden intensive search of all detention cells at the custodial center.” The typewriters were said to be “confiscated right at the onset of the search.”

Karapatan welcomes PEPP’s offer to be guarantors for the release of JASIG-protected detainees

“With the recent offer of the Philippine Ecumenical Peace Platform (PEPP) to be guarantors for the release of political detainees who are covered by the Joint Agreement for the Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG), we see no reason why the Aquino government should further delay the release of the 12 NDFP consultants and immediately resume the peace talks,” said Marie Hilao-Enriquez, chairperson of Karapatan.

December 3 International Day of Solidarity with Political Prisoners

Group conducts solidarity action for political prisoners in hunger strike

The Samahan ng mga Ex-Detainees Laban sa Detensyon at Aresto (SELDA), an organization of former political prisoners of the country, staged today a solidarity jail visit cum protest with 16 political prisoners of Compostela Valley Provincial Jail who led the week-long hunger strike and noise barrage.

The 16 political prisoners and 547 inmates occupied the rooftop of provincial jail conducting hunger strike and noise barrage to press their legitimate demands to both local and national governments. This is the second time when the political prisoners and inmates united their ranks in protest since the government did not heed their calls during the first hunger strike last October.

Release Ramon Patriarca instead of keeping him in a military camp — Karapatan

“The Armed Forces of the Philippines has yet to lift a finger to help locate the fugitive former Gen. Jovito Palparan, Jr. yet, its hand on the hasty transfer of political prisoner Ramon Patriarca from Danao City Jail to a military stockade in the AFP-Central Command in Camp is obvious. The AFP should stop denying about their rights abuses as it keeps its eyes closed to Palparan’s whereabouts; coddles Lt. Col. Felipe Anotado and SSgt. Edgardo Osorio, Palparan’s co-accused; and instead continues to target people whom it perceives as their enemies,” said Marie Hilao-Enriquez, chairperson of Karapatan.

SELDA Welcomes House Resolution for Immediate Release of Political Prisoners, Urge P-NOY to Release PPs this December

Former political prisoners led by the Samahan ng Ex-detainees Laban sa Detensyon at Aresto today welcomed the recently filed resolution of some 38 congresspersons strongly urging Pres. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III “to grant general, unconditional, and omnibus amnesty to political prisoners…who are victims of political repression and charged or convicted of political and/or common crimes on acts in furtherance of their political beliefs.”

CALL FOR SUPPORT FOR THE EXPEDITIOUS RELEASE OF ALL ELDERLY AND SICK POLITICAL PRISONERS

Political prisoners (PPs) are those who are arrested, detained and imprisoned for acts in furtherance of their political beliefs. As a consequence, they are arbitrarily denied their liberty and due process of law. They may be charged with political offenses such as rebellion, sedition and variations thereof.

But more often than not, they are charged with criminal offenses in an effort to deny the political nature of their alleged offenses and to stigmatize them as plain criminals guilty of the most heinous crimes. Political prisoners are slapped with murder, multiple murder, frustrated murder, arson, kidnapping, robbery-in-band, illegal possession of firearms and others. These are mostly non-bailable offenses meant to keep the PPs incarcerated while court hearings proceeded at snail’s pace.

PIN(T)ALAYA – Pinta para sa Paglaya ng mga Bilanggong Pulitikal

IF PNOY IS FOR HUMAN RIGHTS, HE MUST STOP POLITICAL PERSECUTION AND FREE ALL POLITICAL PRISONERS! – Karapatan

Today, September 13, former political prisoners, relatives and friends of political prisoners as well as members of human rights organizations hold a sympathy fast in front of Camp Crame, the headquarters of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the PNP Custodial Center where several of the political prisoners are detained, to reiterate their call to the national government to free all the political prisoners all over the country. Taking off from PNoy’s “marching orders” to the new PNP chief not to let bosses down, Karapatan expressed frustration over the government’s inaction to release political prisoners who are unjustly detained because of fabricated charges.

POLITICAL PRISONERS CONDUCT SYMBOLIC FAST FOR FREEDOM; KIN AND SUPPORTERS HOLD SYMPATHY FAST AND PICKET

Reference: Angie Ipong, SELDA (0949-9587373)

In time for commemoration of Martial Law
POLITICAL PRISONERS CONDUCT SYMBOLIC FAST FOR FREEDOM; KIN AND SUPPORTERS HOLD SYMPATHY FAST AND PICKET

In time for the commemoration of Martial Law, political prisoners in various detention centers nationwide today started their coordinated actions to call for their immediate release through general, unconditional and omnibus amnesty for all political prisoners, while sympathy fasting and picket were conducted by families, friends and supporters of political prisoners at the gate of Camp Crame in Quezon City.

KARAPATAN TO GPH: Stand by your commitment to release political prisoners

’’The release of political prisoners is not a pre-condition set by the NDFP for the continuation of the peace talks; it is a commitment by the GPH made last February in Oslo,” said Marie Hilao-Enriquez, Karapatan chairperson and an independent observer to the peace talks between the GPH and the NDFP.

Hilao-Enriquez is referring to the GPH and NDF Oslo Joint Statement of February 21, 2011 where the GPH committed “undertake steps for the release of prisoners and detainees, including those committed to be released as found in the Second Oslo Joint Statement of 2004.”

The peace talks between the GPH and the NDFP formally opened last February in Oslo, Norway. It was the first round of talks under the P-Noy administration. The panel-to-panel talks was scheduled to resume last June but was postponed due to the delay in the release of political prisoners as promised by the GPH.