Local court junks first terrorism case, orders release of 2 Aetas
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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 19) An Olongapo Court has dismissed the terrorism charges against Aetas Jasper Gurung and Junior Ramos, handing the Duterte administration its first loss in the highly-contested Anti-Terrorism Act.
Olongapo Regional Trial Court Branch 97 ordered the release of Gurung and Ramos after it found that the evidence against the two Aetas were insufficient.
The two have been detained since August last year after the military accused them of being members of the New People s Army (NPA), who fired at a group of soldiers in Barangay Buhawen, San Marcelino, Zambales resulting in the death of Sgt. Rudil Dilao.
Published July 19, 2021, 1:12 PM
The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) welcomed Monday, July 19, the decision of an Olongapo City court to acquit two Aetas who were the first individuals to be charged as terrorists under the controversial Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) of 2020.
(National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict)
Aeta farmers Japer Gurung and Junior Ramos were granted the demurrer to evidence by the Olongapo Region Trial Court Branch 97 after they successfully challenged the sufficiency of evidence filed against them for allegedly firing at members of the Philippine Army in Zambales in August 2020.
“The decision has clearly shown that our justice system works, hears, and decides cases fairly without fear or favor,” the NTF-ELCAC said in a statement.
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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 2) Two Aetas who claim to be tortured by the military and falsely charged with violating the Anti-Terrorism Act have asked the Supreme Court to allow them to intervene in the petitions seeking to junk the “void and unconstitutional law.”
Japer Gurung and Junior Ramos have been detained since August as the military accused them of being among the members of the New People’s Army who fired at a group of soldiers in Barangay Buhawen, San Marcelino, Zambales, resulting in the death of Sgt. Rudil Dilao.
Gurung and Ramos, through their lawyers, filed a 42-page petition against the anti-terrorism law on Jan. 30. This was made public on Tuesday the day the Supreme Court holds oral arguments on the highly-contested law.