Maintain independence, uphold justice
HK group calls on Dutch court to resist political

pressures in ruling on Prof. Sison's case

"In its recent ruling in favor of Prof. Jose Maria Sison, finding insufficient evidence to put him behind bars, the Dutch court has proven its independence from the Dutch government. It should continue to do so by resisting political pressures from the Dutch, US and Manila governments"

This was declared by Eman Villanueva, co-convenor of the HK Committee to Defend the Rights of Professor Sison and Filipino Progressives in Europe (HK DEFEND) during a protest action in front of the Netherlands Consulate. The group held the protest on the eve of a court hearing to rule on the appeal of the Dutch authorities against the court's ruling that led to Prof. Sison's release after 17 days in detention nearly two weeks ago.

"Last September 13, the Dutch court has already ruled that the Dutch authorities have no sufficient evidence against Prof. Sison. I doubt if they find anything new that will bolster their case", said Villanueva. "There is no more legal basis for the Dutch government to continue the case. With this ruling, the political motives behind the trumped up charges against Prof. Sison becomes more obvious" he added.

Meanwhile, the group lashed at the coordinated attacks of the Dutch, Philippine and US governments against Prof. Sison and other Filipino progressives.

"It is totally insane for the Dutch government to collaborate with the criminal government of Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who is despised by the Filipino people for her lies, corruption and human rights violations; much more with the world's number one terrorist - the US government", Villanueva retorted.

Since last year, the Philippine government has been under fire in the international community for its human rights record. Since President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo took power in 2001, more than 800 activists including church workers, human rights lawyers, trade unionist, peasant leaders and students have been killed while nearly 200 have disappeared as a result of a US-sponsored anti-insurgency campaign of the Philippine military. As Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Pres. Arroyo has received strong criticisms from peace and human rights advocates, religious groups, and international bodies including Amnesty International, Asian Human Rights Commission and the UN. For the past six years, not a single case has been resolved.

"We hope that the Dutch court in its ruling tomorrow will maintain fairness and will not give-in to the pressures exerted by the Dutch, Philippines and US governments" Villanueva reiterated. "We will be watching very closely. The people of the world are watching and will be ready to defend and fight for the rights of Prof. Sison and other Filipino progressives", Villanueva concluded.#

Reference: Eman Villanueva
Co-convenor
Tel. (852) 97585935
 

Statements and press releases

■   Free Prof. Jose Maria Sison, ILPS chair -  Justice for Filipino American Veterans

■   Hong Kong Legislator meets Prof. Jose Maria Sison; Vows to drum-up support against Dutch false charges

■   Herzlichen Glückwunsch zur Freilassung von José Maria Sison!: MLPD Landesaufbaugruppe (LAG) Baden Württemberg

■   Celebrate the release of Professor Sison from detention! Continue the fight against political persecution!: Migrante-Europe

■   Statement on the release of Prof. Jose Maria Sison: Cordillera Human Rights Alliance

■   Filipinos across Canada rally to demand release of exiled Filipino leader Jose Maria Sison in the Netherlands: Philippines-Canada Task Force on Human Rights

■   Filipino-Canadian youth welcome Jose Maria Sison's release; Demand drop of charges and end to political persecution: Ugnayan ng Kabataang Pilipino sa Canada

■   Post-mortem on Jose Maria Sison's arrest, detention and release

■   We condemn Prof. Sison's Arrest -- Bayan Bikol

News features

■   Sison vows to continue fight for freedom, peace - Inquirer.net

■   On the arrest of Jose Maria Sison
KPFK radio commentary by John Parker of the International Action Center. Aug. 30, 2007 (Running Time 03:01)
Workers World podcasts - http://www.workersdaily.org/podcast/

■   Of Joma and Jonas, Doble and Abalos
Bulatlat - Quezon City,Philippines
A lot of news seems to be competing for the deadlines: the arrest of Jose Maria Sison, the enforced disappearance of Jonas Burgos, the expose of Vidal Doble ...

■   PSL: free Jose Maria Sison now!
Party for Socialism and Liberation - USA
Jose Maria Sison and the repression directed against other progressive Filipino activists and organizations by the government of the Netherlands. ...

■   Joma, Deprived of Right to Due Process, Social Benefits
Bulatlat - Quezon City,Philippines
Even a prisoner cannot be deprived of food and medicine," said Jose Maria Sison on the removal of his social benefits. BY DR. RAINER WERNING Dr. Rainer ...

■   PSL: free Jose Maria Sison now!
The Party for Socialism and Liberation joins with hundreds of progressive organizations around the world in demanding the immediate release of Jose Maria Sison and an end to abusive treatment as long as he is in captivity. ...

■   Protesters converge on Netherlands office over arrest
... with Philippine immigrants staged a protest directly in front of the building of the Netherlands Trade and Investment Office in Taipei on Sunday over the recent arrest of Communist Party of the Philippines chief Jose Maria Sison. ...

■   NLG Denounces Arrest of Jose Maria Sison
Scoop.co.nz - New Zealand
On August 28, Jose Maria Sison, founder of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), was arrested in The Netherlands by the Dutch police allegedly for ...

■   FREE PROF. JOSE MARIA SISON, ILPS CHAIR
Bay Area Indymedia - San Francisco,CA,USA
Jose Maria Sison, the current chair of the International League of Peoples' Struggle (ILPS) by the Dutch government with the prodding's and collaboration of ...

■   FREE PROF. JOSE MARIA SISON !
By David Dixon(David Dixon)
Joma Sison Questions & Answers Fact Sheet What you can do to demand the release of beloved Philippine leader falsely arrested and in detention On August 28, 2007 Professor Jose Maria Sison, a Filipino political refugee living in exile ...

■   Int'l campaign to free Jose Maria Sison launched
Utrecht, The Netherlands - Friends, comrades and colleagues of detained Philippine revolutionary leader Professor Jose Maria Sison gathered Wednesday in this city, at the international information office of the National Democratic Front ...
Antonio Zumel Center for Press Freedom - http://zumel.com

■   The trials of Jose Maria Sison
Manila Times - Philippines
The arrest of Jose Maria "Joma" Sison in Netherlands recalls his capture in Pangasinan in 1976. We were in Montreal at the time, and we heard the dictator ...

■   FREE PROF. JOSE MARIA SISON !
By Radical Notes
Joma Sison Questions & Answers Fact Sheet What you can do to demand the release of beloved Philippine leader falsely arrested and in detention On August 28, 2007 Professor Jose Maria Sison, a Filipino political refugee living in exile [ ...

■   Arroyo's amnesty, a farce
By Tonyo(Tonyo)
All of a sudden, Gonzales discovers mass graves in Bukidnon and urged the prosecution of Sison and the entire Communist Party of the Philippines. Bukidnon Governor Jose Maria Zubiri lambasted him and accused him of "peddling lies": ...
tonyo - http://tonyo.blogspot.com/

■   Sison Protest III
By Toby Sterling(Toby Sterling)
Today was the third protest in the Netherlands about the arrest of Jose Maria Sison. It was held outside the court house where he had his second appearance, this time to discuss whether he can be held another 90 days on murder charges. ...

■   Sison's LA supporters protest at Dutch Consulate
Balita - Glendale,CA,USA
... the Dutch consulate along Wilshire Boulevard on August 30 demanding the immediate release of Jose Maria Sison from his recent arrest in The Netherlands. ...

■   Joma Sison, a Victim of US and Dutch Interests - Dutch Lawyer
Bulatlat - Quezon City,Philippines
"The Dutch government is sanctioning Jose Maria Sison because first, it is obeying the order of the US and second, it is protecting its investors in the ...

■   Julie de Lima-Sison speaks; Romy Capulong clarifies
By Tonyo(Tonyo)
Rare are blog posts giving the side of Jose Maria Sison and the others who were victimized by the raids that accompanied his arrest. In the interest of fairness, here is an open letter from Sison's wife and colleague in the movement ...
tonyo - http://tonyo.blogspot.com/

■   Defend Democratic Rights - Home
Jose Maria Sison, Founding Chairman of the Communist Party of the Philippines and currently Chief Political Consultant of the National Democratic Front of ...

■   Gary Leupp: The Case of Jose Maria Sison
On the morning of August 28, Dutch plainclothes police raided the home of exiled Filipino revolutionary leader Jose Maria Sison in Utrecht, the Netherlands, ...

■   NDF negotiator: Gov't amnesty program source of corruption
Inquirer.net - Philippines
Asked how the arrest of self-exile communist leader Jose Maria Sison was related to this amnesty offer, Jalandoni said the government was taking advantage ...

■   NLG Denounces Arrest of Jose Maria Sison
Common Dreams (press release) - Portland,ME,USA
WASHINGTON - September 5 - On August 28, Jose Maria Sison, founder of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), was arrested in The Netherlands by the ...

■   Buencamino's fairy tale about Joma Sison; Kudos to Montemayor
By Tonyo(Tonyo)
Manuel Buencamino wrote a commentary on Malu Fernandez and dragged Jose Maria Sison into the picture this way:. Take the case of Joma Sison, who tried to impose political correctness on his party during the 1980s. ...
tonyo - http://tonyo.blogspot.com/  

■   Philippine Revolutionary Arrested in The Netherlands: Free Jose ...
Bay Area Indymedia - San Francisco,CA,USA
Jose Maria Sison must be set free, and the US, Philippine, and Dutch governments must stop subjecting him to fascist attacks. ...

■   Holland Arrests Filipino Revolutionary at the Behest of US
By blackandred
In August 2002, US Secretary of State Colin Powell announced with some fanfare that it had decided to declare [Jose Maria] Sison a "terrorist." The [Communist Party of the Phillipines] as well as the [New People's Army] were already on ...

■   Justice and fairness for Jose Maria Sison
By Tonyo(Tonyo)
Ninotchka Rosca said it best: "The more you put Sison down, the more you raise him up in the eyes of the people." Photo: NDF negotiators Luis Jalandoni, Jose Maria Sison nd Fidel Agcaoili and NDF panel general counsel Romeo Capulong.
tonyo - http://tonyo.blogspot.com/  

■   Jose Maria Sison is No Criminal!
Joma is no Criminal! This is the response of Fidel V. Agaoili, chairman NDFP-Monitoring Commitee to the Arroyo government's stepped-up vilification campaign against Prof. Jose Maria Sison. (www.philippinerevolution.net)

■   Al Jazeera English - News - Philippine 'Rebel Leader' Arrested
Sison denies any New People's Army operational role since he left the ... Jose Maria Sison's comrades vowed to intensify their 39-year-old uprising and ... 

■   Antonio Zumel Center for Press Freedom - Free Jose Maria Sison!
Jose Maria Sison, by the Dutch Police, on trumped-up charges, and the simultaneous police raids in Utrecht on several houses of Filipinos, including the NDF ... 

■   Freedom for Jose Maria Sison, Filipino Revolutionary
Fight Back! Newspaper - Minneapolis,MN,USA
By Freedom Road Socialist Organization Every progressive person should condemn the arrest of Professor Jose Maria Sison by authorities in the Netherlands. ... 

■   Jose Maria Sison Chronology of Persecution
Since his release from military detention and the nullification of subversion and rebellion charges against him in 1986 after the fall of the Marcos fascist dictatorship, Prof. Jose Maria Sison has been subjected to a series of false ...

■   RALLY AUG.30 at 6;00 PM at Phil Consulate General
By AJLPP-USA(LA IMC)
CALL TO ACTION: In Los Angeles, join AJLPP for the emergency mobilization to demand the release of Jose Maria Sison and call for the resumption of the GRP-NDFP peace negotiations Thursday, 8/30/07, at 6:00 pm at the Philippine ...
LA IMC - http://la.indymedia.org/  

■   Joma Sison, 68, an unrepentant radical in latest interview
GMA news.tv - Quezon City,Metro Manila,Philippines
Jose Maria Sison remained an unrepentant radical in his latest interview with Liberation International, the official publication of the communist-led ...

■   Free Jose Maria Sison!
Fight Back! Newspaper - Minneapolis,MN,USA
The editors of Fight Back! have met Jose Maria Sison on many occasions and we have a great respect for his clear thinking and hard work on behalf of working ...

■   Land reform and peace talks will resolve insurgency - Sison
ABS CBN News - Philippines
By LOUI GALICIA ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau correspondent Loui Galicia interviewed Jose Maria Sison at the National Democratic Front international office in ...

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