In the Philippines, a US soldier who murdered a transgender sister is released by virtue of a Philippine court decision considering him as eligible for good conduct and time served in prison, six years after the gruesome killing of Jennifer Laude.
In the Philippines, a US soldier who murdered a transgender sister is released by virtue of a Philippine court decision considering him as eligible for good conduct and time served in prison, six years after the gruesome killing of Jennifer Laude.
In the Philippines, scores of activists, political dissenters, trade unionists and rights defenders have been in jail for years on trumped up and malicious charges, and yet the Supreme Court has not decided on the humanitarian plea for the release of the sick, the elderly and pregnant among them.
In the Philippines, we have a justice system that is skewed for the interest of the rich, the powerful, and the favored, while the poor and those who challenge the oppressive status quo suffer in prison.
Karapatan decries the impending release of former US Marine Joseph Scott Pemberton as a travesty of justice in the Philippines and as a most recent vivid example of the lopsidedness towards US interests of the US-PH Visiting Forces Agreement. This action will go down in the annals of Philippine history as among the most notorious proof that the US continues to trump Philippine sovereignty to this day, under the regime of Rodrigo Duterte, who continues to remain subservient to US interests, contrary to his posturing, and to the interests of countries such as China.
Cristina Palabay
Karapatan Secretary General