HK DEFEND

HK Committee to Defend the Rights

of Prof. Sison and other Filipino Progressives

in Europe

“Arrest and harassment, dastardly actions”

HK rights group calls for Joma’s immediate release

“The arrest of Prof. Jose Maria Sison, harassment of Filipino progressives in the Netherlands and the ransacking of their houses and the international office of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) are dastardly actions worthy of the strongest condemnation of civil libertarians, advocates of the rights overseas Filipinos, and peace activists.”

This was declared today by Eman Villanueva, co-convenor of the HK Committee to Defend the Rights of Prof. Sison and other Filipino Progressives in Europe (HK DEFEND) following the arrest of Professor Sison yesterday by Dutch authorities on alleged charges of “multiple murders” and “calling for more murders”.

HK DEFEND led a protest action of about 30 Filipino migrant workers and local supporters at the Consulate General of the Netherlands today against the said actions.

“Professor Sison must be immediately released and all confiscated properties must be returned to him and to the NDFP,” he sad.

Houses of Sison, NDFP chair Louie Jalandoni and those of members of the NDFP Peace Negotiating Panel and NDFP staff and the NDFP office were ransacked and computers were also taken from the said places.

“Professor Sison was tricked into coming to the police station to suppossedly sign some documents but was instead arrested. Almost the same time, Dutch authorities swooped down on places associated with Filipino progressives. Obviously, Dutch government has a very weak case that it had to resort to trickery and random pillaging to look for evidences,” Villanueva added.

According to Villanueva, Professor Sison has been a target of harassment and political prosecution of the Netherlands, Philippines and the US governments. In 2002, the Dutch government decided to freeze the meager assets and subsidy of Professor Sison as a political asylum seeker but was overruled by the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg this year.

“As a legitimate political refugee, Sison has been systematically demonized and unjustly prosecuted without regard to legal processes and even relevant United Nations conventions on political refugees. Instead of finally ensuring that Sison gets his just dues, the Dutch government is even intensifying the prosecution of Sison with the backing, for sure, of the Philippines and US governments,” Villanueva averred.

Protesters said that the recent actions against Sison bodes ill on the stalled peace negotiations between the NDFP and the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP).

“The Dutch government may have effectively killed the peace process. Even the declarations of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and the Philippine military hailing the arrest only show that the Philippine government is not serious in pursuing peaceful talks to resolve the ongoing conflict in the country,” Villanuea added.

Villanueva said that they will closely monitor the events in the Netherlands until Sison is released and charges against him are dropped.

“The Dutch, Philippines, and US governments must lay off Prof. Sison and other progressive Filipinos in Europe who are only acting within their legitimate rights. Political prosecution against them must stop,” Villanueva concluded.#

For reference:      Eman Villanueva

                             Co-convenor

                             Tel. No.: 97585935

Statement in Word Format

Eman Villanueva

Co-Convenor of HK DEFEND

Jackie Hung

of the

Justice and Peace Commission of the HK Catholic Diocese

Eni Lestari

of the Asosiasi Tenaga Kerja Indonesia (ATKI)

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