President Rodrigo Duterte removed amnesty for an opposition senator in the Philippines on Tuesday and called for his arrest in what would be the second detention of a lawmaker critical of his rule, according to Reuters.
Antonio Trillanes has been one of the most outspoken opponents of Duterte's leadership, accusing him of hiding his family's wealth and has supported petitions to the International Criminal Court (ICC) seeking to indict him for the alleged murders of thousands of suspected drug dealers and criminals in his notorious "war on drugs."
The Manila Times newspaper, a pro-Duterte publication, published an executive order which said clemency for former military servicemen had been voided after Trillanes fell short of the minimum requirements and admitted his guilt.
Former President Benigno Aquino granted Trillanes amnesty in 2010 for involvement in a failed 2003 coup and a mutiny staged four years later, which both attempted to overthrow then-President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, a Duterte ally.
Trillanes said he would not resist arrest from authorities or attempt to flee the country from the "stupid" executive order.
“It’s a clear case of political persecution,” Trillanes said. “Mr. Duterte is a dictator. He does not respect institutions. That is why we’re like this: ordinary people are killed and critics are jailed.”
“This is not to scare anyone, but to ensure all of the laws are followed and obeyed,” he said.
However, the opposition dismissed those claims and Sen. Risa Hontiveros said the move signaled "Duterte's further slide into full authoritarian rule."
Duterte has previously targeted other politicians, lawyers, a reporter, a judge, a United Nations rapporteur, an elderly nun, and an indigenous peoples' rights activist during his time as president.
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said Duterte already showed the "maximum tolerance for freedom of expression," and was enforcing the law by removing the amnesty which they claimed was awarded as a political favor.
“It never was effective, there was nothing to undo,” Roque told reporters in Jerusalem, where Duterte has been making an official visit this week. “He did not ask for amnesty, it was given to him on a silver platter.”
Trillanes' arrest would be the second member of the Senate minority to be detained following former justice secretary Leila de Lima, who was held for a year and a half after being charges with involvement in illicit narcotics.
Both Trillanes and Lima have opposed Duterte's brutal war on drugs campaign and have spearheaded Senate enquiries into his role in the alleged executions of drug dealers and addicts carried out by police, both during his time as president and as city mayor.
The ICC announced in February it was beginning a preliminary examination of a complaint that accuses Duterte of crimes against humanity.
-WN.com, Maureen Foody
Photo:
AP / Bullit Marquez