Chief Reporter

Philippines' Most High Profile Political Prisoner Freed At Long Last

New Zealand Played Its Part In His Release

The Philippines Solidarity Network of Aotearoa (PSNA) is delighted to announce that Congressman Crispin Beltran (universally known as Ka Bel) has been freed this week.

His name featured prominently in all the NZ media in May when Philippine trade unionist, Dennis Maga, spokesperson for the Free Ka Bel Movement, played a leading role in protests at Wellington and Waitangi during the State visit by Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

In February 2006 President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo declared a shortlived State of National Emergency and had charges of rebellion laid against the whole spectrum of her opponents, from the underground Communist armed struggle leadership on the Left to various Rightists and military mutineers. Those charged included all six legal Left Party List Representatives in Congress. Ka Bel was the only one actually arrested - the others managed to gain sanctuary in the Congress Building, where they remained for several weeks before they were able to come out without being arrested.

But Ka Bel was in custody from that date. He was originally charged, absurdly, with an offence allegedly committed during the 1980s' martial law dictatorship of President Marcos (when Ka Bel was also a political prisoner - he escaped from prison that time). As soon as his lawyers proved that the old charge had been dismissed in the 80s, he was hit with a new, non-bailable charge of rebellion, complete with a hooded "witness" produced by the military to give "evidence" against him.

He spent several months in prison and was then transferred to hospital custody (he is 74 and has a variety of health problems).

There ensued a massive national and international campaign to have him immediately released. New Zealand played its part - there was an intensive campaign to lobby Helen Clark to demand Ka Bel's release during her several meeting with President Macapagal-Arroyo in 2006 and 07, both in the Philippines and NZ. There were protests at the Philippine Embassy; trade unions took up the issue (Ka Bel was the veteran leader of the militant KMU [May First Movement] trade union confederation - in which capacity he made a 1999 NZ speaking tour - before he was elected to Congress). And New Zealanders gave generously towards Ka Bel's legal and hospital bills (to add insult to injury he had to pay for his own imprisonment - he owes more than $NZ12,600 to the hospital for his time spent in its custody).

Ka Bel's lawyers kept campaigning for his freedom. Recently the Supreme Court dismissed the rebellion charge against all those charged with it in February 2006. It was dismissed for want of evidence, so it never came to trial. The Court was scathing about the Government's case and the blatantly political nature of the charges (part of a systematic Government campaign to cripple the legal Left Party List Organisations and all other opponents). But still Ka Bel - and Ka Bel alone - remained in custody, because the Government appealed the dismissal.

This week the Supreme Court upheld the dismissal of all charges against everyone concerned and ordered the immediate release of Ka Bel. As the Government no longer had any legal grounds, no matter how spurious, to imprison him, he was released. He has gone home to his wife and family and will immediately resume his duties as a Congressman. Imprisonment has only made him more determined to speak on behalf of the poor and oppressed majority of Filipinos.

We celebrate a long overdue victory, as we mark the release of Ka Bel, who was falsely robbed of 16 months of his life on totally spurious and malicious charges. He is alive, unharmed, we know his whereabouts and he is free - which is more than can be said for many other victims of the human rights catastrophe that is the Philippines under President Macapagal-Arroyo. Since she came to power in 2001, more than 850 political activists have been murdered (many tortured and mutilated in the process), hundred have been abducted and never seen or heard of again, hundreds more are political prisoners, many of them routinely subject to torture. It is a State reign of terror.

To their credit, the courts have refused to rubber stamp many of the most grotesque attempts by the Government to hobble its opponents with trumped up charges. Only a few months ago, the Government arrested another legal Left Congressman (Satur Ocampo) on historic alleged murder charges, dating from his time with the Communist underground fighting Marcos in the 80s. Despite murder being a non-bailable charge, a court gave him bail (which shows what they think of the charge). The Government's campaign reaches beyond the Philippines and there too courts have dealt it blows. Just today comes the news that the European Court of First Instance has removed Joma Sison, the exiled founder of the Communist Party of the Philippines, from the European Union's list of terrorists (which includes the likes of Osama bin Laden). He had been put on it at the urging of the Philippine Government in 2002, and that listing had severely negative effects for him.

New Zealanders can be proud of their role in this slow, frustrating but ultimately successful campaign to have Ka Bel freed and restored to his rightful place in the struggle of the Philippine people for justice and basic human rights.

ENDS

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