PHILIPPINES: NDF CONDEMNS ARREST AND TORTURE OF NDFP CONSULTANT AND HIS STAFF

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PUBLISHED ON December 20, 2007 AT 9:50 AM

By LUIS G. JALANDONI
Chairperson, NDFP Negotiating Panel

The National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) strongly condemns the illegal arrest, torture and detention of NDFP Consultant Emeterio Antalan and his staff Mr. Edgardo V. Friginal as another gross violation of the GRP-NDFP Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG).

Mr. Antalan, 48 and Mr. Friginal, 41, were beaten up, kicked and hit with rifle butts, by ten soldiers of a joint force of the 7th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) on 28 November 2007 at about 5 pm, in Barangay Dimasalang Norte, Talavera, Nueva Ecija.

This gross violation of the JASIG occurred on the same day that the Arroyo regime’s military and police forces abducted, tortured and illegally detained another NDFP Consultant, Ms. Elizabeth Principe. Only after three days of incommunicado detention did the military and police officials surface Ms. Principe and allow her family and human rights advocates to visit her. She is still detained in continued gross violation of the JASIG.

The NDFP demands the immediate and unconditional release of Ms. Elizabeth Principe and Messrs. Emeterio Antalan and Edgardo Friginal. Their continued illegal detention seriously prejudices any possibility for exploratory talks. ###

REFERENCE:
Ruth de Leon
Executive Director
NDFP International Information Office
Tel.+31-30-2310431
Fax +31-84-7589930
Email: ndf@casema.nl

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