Karapatan strongly criticized the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group-National Capital Region (CIDG-NCR) of the Philippine National Police (PNP) for violating the rights of political prisoner Isidro de Lima by subjecting him to interrogation and bribery.
Karapatan strongly criticized the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group-National Capital Region (CIDG-NCR) of the Philippine National Police (PNP) for violating the rights of political prisoner Isidro de Lima by subjecting him to interrogation and bribery.
“The CIDG subjected de Lima to a two-hour interrogation on June 18, 2015, at around 9:00 a.m. and coerced him to give false testimonies against NDFP peace consultant Adelberto Silva and activist Rosanna Cabusao,” said Karapatan Secretary General Cristina Palabay citing De Lima’s report on the incident.
De Lima was arrested by the CIDG with Silva and Cabusao on June 1 in Bacoor City, Cavite. The three are currently placed in a temporary detention area inside the CIDG-NCR office in Camp Crame, Quezon City. False charges of illegal possession of firearms and explosives were filed against the three detainees, while Silva is facing other trumped up charges in other courts outside Metro Manila.
Palabay said during the tactical interrogation, De Lima was asked how he came to know Silva and Cabusao; if he knew that Silva and Cabusao are “tauhan” (followers) of the Tiamzons and that Silva was a financier of the movement. The interrogation was conducted by a certain Ignao who introduced himself as De Lima’s nephew. Ignao also accused Silva and Cabusao’s family members who visit them as their “comrades in the movement.” De Lima said Ignao is not his relative.
At the end of the interrogation, Ignao urged De Lima to “cooperate” with the authorities and promised him immediate release if he did. Ignao gave De Lima Php 1,000 but insisted “it had nothing to do with the interrogation.” De Lima, upon his return to his cell, gave back the Php1, 000 but the guards refused to accept it, saying there was no “Ignao” among them.
De Lima’s family tailed and harassed
“De Lima’s family members are not spared from the harassment of state agents. For whatever reason the CIDG is doing this, we are certain to hold them accountable for any untoward incident that may happen to De Lima’s family,” Palabay said.
On the same day De Lima underwent interrogation on June 18, his wife Resurrection noticed “beggars” with cellphones roaming the vicinity of their house. Even the neighbors were surprised because it was the first time beggars were seen on their street. On several occasions after De Lima’s arrest, his wife noticed heavily tinted cars parked near their house.
A week earlier, on June 10, De Lima’s three children, Mia, Mayuno and Elsid, were tailed by three men on their way to Lucena in Quezon province after they visited their father at the CIDG-NCR. The men rode the same bus the De Lima children took; one of the men squeezed himself beside brother Elsid. Sisters Mia and Mayuno were certain they saw one of the men at the CIDG headquarters during their visits. The De Lima siblings believed the men were monitoring them. True enough, when the De Lima children decided to get off the bus midway, the men immediately followed them. The De Lima siblings fortunately were able shake off the three men.
On June 19, when Mia visited his father, she again saw one of the men who tailed them. This time, the man was in a CIDG shirt with a nameplate “Catalan” on his shirt. ###