Friday, March 10, 2006
Lawmaker calls justice chief 'unjust, inhuman'
BAYAN Muna Representative Joel Virador branded Justice Secretary Raul Gonzales as "unjust and inhuman" for the continued detention of his fellow leftist lawmaker Crispin Beltran.
"If something bad happens to Anakpawis Representative Crispin 'Ka Bel' Beltran, Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez will answer before the law and to the people's movement whom he has been perennially persecuting," Virador said in a statement.
"It is quite appalling that the Department of Justice is keeping a 73-year-old (lawmaker) in illegal detention for opposing an illegitimate president. Gonzalez, like his boss in Malacañang, does not have compassion, truth, integrity, and fair play in his vocabulary," Virador added.
Virador accused Gonzales of using "delaying tactics in the court proceedings so that his prosecutors can invent and manufacture evidence to back up their charges" against Beltran and five other congressmen accused of rebellion and inciting to sedition.
"This only shows how vicious and desperate Gloria is. She'll do everything in her power to silence all opposition to her highly questionable presidency up to the extent of curbing the people's civil liberties and freedom," Virador said.
"We want Representative Beltran to be released immediately not only because the DOJ has no case against him but also for health and humanitarian reasons," he said.
During the inquest proceedings held last February 27, Beltran's counsel, Justice Romeo Capulong, said that the congressman's arrest and continued detention is illegal because at the time of the arrest, there were no charges filed against him in court.
According to Capulong, it was only on February 26 that the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group filed charges of sedition against Beltran.
The veteran human rights lawyer also argued that as a lawmaker, Beltran had immunity from arrest and detention if the penalty for his case is below six years. Sedition has a penalty of six years and below.
On this basis, Beltran's release order was issued as early as February 26, but the CIDG continued to detain the lawmaker until the following day.
Virador, along with fellow lawmakers Satur Ocampo, Teodoro Casiño, Rafael Mariano and Liza Maza, is on his ninth day in protective custody of the House of Representatives. (BOT/With press release)
For Bisaya stories from Davao. Click here. (March 10, 2006 issue)
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