Sison walks free after court order

Filipino political dissident Jose Ma. Sison is out of jail and the Malacañang is far from happy. Dutch authorities set Sison free after a court ordered his release because the case accusing him of involvement in political murders of former colleagues in the Philippines had apparently collapsed. He is another political leader turned into a scapegoat by the US-led "war on terror". But, according to the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Sison, founder of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its armed wing the New People's Army (NPA), isn't off the hook yet.
The District Court of The Hague reportedly hasn't precluded him from being prosecuted on murder charges. Spokesperson Wim de Bruin of the national prosecutor's office told the Inquirer: "The charges are not being dropped. The investigation will continue." The Malacañang is still hoping that the case against the communist leader will proceed.

• Sison supporters accuse Dutch authorities
• CPP leader Joma Sison arrested in shock move

Sison supporters accuse Dutch authorities

The International Committee Defend is accusing Dutch authorities of "torturing" CPP founder Jose Maria Sison and violating his civil rights. The committee's statement:

1 September 2007
DUTCH GOVERNMENT IS TORTURING PROFESSOR SISON;
JUDGE EXTENDS HIS DETENTION FOR 14 MORE DAYS

(Utrecht, The Netherlands). The Dutch government is torturing Prof. Jose Ma. Sison. Thus stressed the International Committee Defend, after learning from Professor Sison's lawyer, Michiel Pestman, that he is being kept in solitary confinement, denied visits from his wife, denied warm clothing, denied access to his medicines and access to his own doctor, denied access to newspapers and TV.
Julie De Lima, wife of Professor Sison, tried to see him last Thursday but was denied to see him. She said she also brought some medicines and warm clothes, but prison authorities said these were not allowed.
Professor Sison is being detained at the National Penitentiary in Scheveningen, a facility with was used by the Nazi's during World War II to imprison and torture Dutch resistance fighters. Committee Defend also said despite the weak evidence presented by the Dutch prosecutor in yesterday's remand hearing in The Hague , the Dutch judge extended the detention of Professor Sison to 14 more days.
Another hearing to examine the evidence has been set on Sept. 7. Committee Defend strongly condemned the torture being done to Professor Sison by the Dutch government and reiterated what it declared in an earlier statement that it will hold the Dutch
government responsible for any harm done to Professor Sison, including another possible kidnapping to bring him to a country outside the Netherlands. It also called on the Dutch government to end Sison's solitary confinement, allow visits from his wife, and access to his medicines and other basic necessities.
"What they are doing to Professor Sison, the way they treat him, violates his basic rights. He is still in the stage of being heard and investigated. What happened to the Dutch government's adherence to basic human rights?" said Dr. Jun Saturay of Committee Defend.
During the hearing yesterday at the Palace of Justice in the Hague, dozens of solidarity activists rallied outside the gates of the Justice building. They carried posters and shouted "Free Jose Maria Sison, now!". They sang songs and recited poems. Several Dutch and international media covered the rally.
"The persecution of Sison through the use of the judicial processes exposes the rottenness and corruption of the Dutch justice and political system," stressed W. Wijk, during a speech at the rally. He told Filipinos present that the fight for the rights and life of Professor Sison is also a fight of all freedom-loving and reasonable Dutch citizens.
The solidarity activists vowed to continue protest actions in support of Professor Sison and said they will rally again on Sept. 7, Sison's next hearing.

International Committee DEFEND
defenddemrights@yahoo.com

Works of Jose Maria Sison

Analysis of state terrorism against Filipinos - background to the arrest

Earlier Cafe Pacific posting on Sison

CPP leader Joma Sison arrested in shock move

The globalised war on terror is striking at any progressive forces on a variety of pretexts. This from Karapatan on the "political" arrest of exiled Jose Maria Sison, founder of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) in his "safe haven" in the Netherlands.

>>> Video newsfeed

Sison lawyer, Dutch authorities confirm CPP founder's arrest

By Lira Dalangin-Fernandez, Thea Alberto
INQUIRER.net
Last updated 09:14pm (Mla time) 08/28/2007

MANILA, Philippines -- (UPDATE 2) A lawyer of Jose Ma. Sison in The Netherlands and Dutch authorities have confirmed the arrest of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founder Tuesday.

"The communist leader was suspected of giving orders, from the
Netherlands, to murder his former political associates in the
Philippines, Romulo Kintanar and Arturo Tabara," the Dutch national
prosecutor's office said in a statement quoted in an Agence
France-Presse report.

Kintanar and Tabara led a faction of the CPP that broke away from the
party in the early 1990s. They were subsequently assassinated by the
New People's Army, the CPP's armed wing.

Lawyer Jose Jalandoni, son of National Democratic Front (NDF) chief
peace negotiator Luis Jalandoni, said he was on his way to see his
client but could not confirm if the arrest of Sison was related to the
murder charges filed against the CPP founder in the Philippines.

However, Jalandoni said he did not know of any murder charges Sison is facing in The Netherlands, where the CPP founder has been living in exile since 1987.

In a separate phone interview, one of the lawyers helping work for the resumption of peace talks between the government and NDF said a judge and policemen went to Sison's house in the town of Utrecht to interrogate him.

The lawyer then said Sison was brought to The Hague, the Dutch capital.

The negotiations have been stalled for around three years because of
the inclusion of the CPP, NPA and Sison in the terror lists of the
United States, European Union and other countries.

Carl Ala, spokesman of the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP,
Peasant Movement of the Philippines) said Sison could be held for
three to as long as 105 days on charges of "multiple murders and for
calling for more murders."

Police also reportedly raided Sison's office in Utrecht and seized all computers, said Ala.

"They are really intensifying the attacks on progressive forces," said
Ala in a text message.

Renato Reyes, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan, New Patriotic
Alliance) secretary general said Sison's arrest showed that the
government was not interested in pushing through with the stalled
peace talks.

"This bodes ill for the peace process. The arrest was most probably
undertaken with the knowledge and prodding of the Arroyo government
who is out to sabotage all hopes for peace talks," said Reyes.

Originally posted at 8:13 pm

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