Dutch Appeals Court judgement, "decisive vindication" of Sison: CPP

The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) on Friday praised the Dutch Court of Appeals' dismissal of an appeal by Dutch prosecutors to reverse an earlier ruling by The Hague District Court last September 13 releasing CPP founding chairperson Jose Ma. Sison from prison.

CPP spokesperson Gregorio "Ka Roger" Rosal said the decision was a "decisive vindication" of Sison.

Rosal said, "This shows clearly the falsity of the charges concocted by Malacañang's Inter-Agency Legal Action Group in collusion with US and Dutch security and prosecution officials."

The appellate court in effect did not give credence to claims by the Dutch prosecutors that they had "additional evidence" warranting Comrade Sison's reincarceration, Rosal pointed out.

Sison was held in solitary confinement at Scheveningen Prison in The Hague for 17 days before he was ordered freed by The Hague District Court.

He is being charged by the Dutch police of "inciting to murder" in connection with the deaths of Romulo Kintanar in 2003 and of Arturo Tabara in 2004.

The CPP and the New People's Army have claimed responsibility for Tabara and Kintanar's deaths.

According to the CPP Central Committee's Executive Committee, the two were killed in the course of arrest operations carried out by the NPA on orders of the revolutionary people's court based in the Philippines.

The two were charged with gross counterrevolutionary and capital criminal offenses.

The Dutch appeals court affirmed The Hague District Court's ruling that "there was no direct and sufficient evidence to show that Sison had a conscious and close cooperation with those in the Philippines who carried out the deed."