Rights group to Aquino: 296 detainees waiting for amnesty

Two days after President Aquino announced that he has signed a proclamation giving amnesty to renegade soldiers, a human rights group reminded him that 296 political prisoners are awaiting the same act of goodwill. “Like the rebel soldiers belonging to the Magdalo group, the 296 political detainees had waged a fight for change, though in a different way, against the widely perceived unjust and corrupt administration of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo," said Emmanuel Amistad, executive director of the Task Force Detainees of the Philippines (TFDP). “We are reminding the president that the political detainees under Arroyo’s watch merit the same attention and concern Aquino has given to rebel soldiers who tried three times to topple Arroyo from 2003 to 2007," Amistad added. Early this week, Aquino announced he had signed Proclamation 50, granting amnesty to over 300 military officers and personnel — including detained Senator Antonio Trillanes IV — who were involved in three military uprisings against the Arroyo administration. "I signed it (the proclamation) yesterday (Monday)," Aquino said in a chance interview on Tuesday morning. Proclamation No. 50 grants amnesty to all active and former personnel of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and their supporters, who committed acts or omissions punishable under the Revised Penal Code, the Articles of War or other special laws related to the following: • the July 27, 2003 Oakwood Mutiny; • the February 2006 Marines Stand-Off; • the November 29, 2007 Manila Peninsula Incident, and/or • related incidents "provided that amnesty shall not cover crimes against chastity and other crimes committed for personal ends." The approval of both chambers of Congress, however, is needed before Proclamation 50 could take effect, Aquino said. TFDP’s Amistad in a statement said, “Relatives of victims of political detention had been appealing to Aquino to release all political prisoners as soon as he was proclaimed winner in the last national election. But up to now we received no reaction from him." TFDP has been working for the release of all political prisoners since the martial law era. According to Amistad, majority of the martial law political prisoners were released during the presidency of Aquino’s late mother former President Corazon “Cory" Aquino as well as during President Fidel Ramos’s watch. The TFDP also reiterated its appeal for the release of Juanito Itaas, convicted for the killing of Col. James Rowe in 1989. “Juanito Itaas was detained and prosecuted for a crime he did not commit. He and his family suffered unjustly. All men and women like him deserve to be freed," Amistad said. He expressed hope that Aquino would not inherit his predecessor’s intolerance to democratic dissent. “Political dissent is essential in a democracy. There is no democracy if citizens are not allowed to criticize government policies. The beauty of democracy lies in its capacity to empower citizens to be independent, self-determining and free to speak out their minds. These entitlements, among a host of other human rights, are guaranteed under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)," Amistad added. – Egay Cabalitan Jr/LBG, GMANews.TV