Group to appeal anti-terror raps filed vs 2 labor activists

File photo from REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/Illustration

MANILA, Philippines — Human rights group Karapatan National Capital Region (NCR) will file a Motion to Dismiss the Anti-Terror Act (ATA) of 2020 charges against labor activists Ed Cubelo and Rodrigo Esparago.

The appeal will be submitted today at the Malolos Regional Trial Court.

Trade unionists Ed Cubelo and Rodrigo Esparago are facing charges under the Anti-Terror Act of 2020, along with 26 others.

Karapatan NCR said the cases stemming from the alleged involvement of the accused in an armed encounter are “baseless and politically motivated attacks.”

“The weaponization of the law through ATA and red-tagging is part of a broader strategy to suppress dissent with legal frameworks, setting a dangerous precedent to target labor activists and rights defenders under the guise of national security,” the group added.

READ: Police arrest 7 as PH marks Human Rights Day

The group will also hold a protest to urge the regional trial court to dismiss the charges against Cubelo and Esparago, which were filed by members of the 84th Infantry Battalion in Nueva Ecija.

Rodrigo Esparago was among the seven people arrested on International Human Rights Day 2020 for the alleged violation of possessing illegal firearms.

The cases filed against him were junked by a local court, saying that the evidence found against him was “null and void.”

READ: Blow to Red-tagging drive: Court frees journalist, union organizer