Did You Know: Death anniversary of Sen. Jose Diokno

Feb. 27, is the 30th death anniversary of Sen. Jose Diokno, who served the Senate from 1963 to 1972. A nationalist, human rights advocate and public servant, he was among the first members of the opposition to be arrested when martial law was declared in 1972. He was imprisoned for two years without charges, including months of solitary confinement at Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija. Upon his release in 1974, he established the Free Legal Assistance Group, which offered free legal services to victims of oppression under martial law. Born on Feb. 26, 1922, he died in 1987 at his home in New Manila. —Marielle Medina, Inquirer Research