Lawyers group calls for police’s accountability on arrests of activists on ‘trumped up charges’ (Sabong News)
Author
Jeffrey Damicog
Date
MARCH 08 2022
An organization of lawyers reiterated its call for accountability on the part of law enforcers on arrests of activists “based on trumped up charges.”
The National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL) renewed its call after Judge Jose G. Pineda of Quezon City regional trial court (RTC) dismissed the criminal charges against trade unionist Dennise A. Velasco for illegal possession of firearms, ammunition and explosives.
“Lamentably, this case is another proof at how the law has been weaponized against the exercise of freedoms and rights and the justice system twisted to a certain extent, which institutions should have been the people’s recourse when their rights and freedoms are trampled upon,” the NUPL said in a statement.
“There ought to be accountability and effective recourse against these continuing transgressions. Sooner or later,” it pointed out.
The NUPL noted that Velasco was “arrested alongside five other labor organizers and journalist Lady Ann Salem on Dec. 10, 2020 in Quezon City and Manila.”
“The arrests were made possible after the implementation of questionable search warrants issued again by Quezon City RTC Executive Judge Burgos-Villavert,” it said.
“This search warrant was assailed by Velasco in his Omnibus Motion to Quash Search Warrant before the trial court of the same QC RTC,” it also said.
In Judge Pineda’s order dated last March 2, the NUPL cited that the judge “emphasized the absence of probable cause for the issuance of the search warrants, underscoring the failure of the issuing Judge Burgos-Villavert to conduct ‘probing and exhaustive inquiry’ upon the police applicant and his witnesses.”
“Such findings only prove how State forces are hell-bent at quelling the exercise of labor rights being promoted by trade union organizers such as Velasco as well as activists in general,” the NUPL stressed.
“The police and their perjured witnesses had been so desperate to pin down the trade union efforts of Velasco that they even went to the bounds of concocting the fantastic narratives against him and the five other trade union organizers, including Salem, that they are purported members of a gun-running syndicate,” it added.
