IPINATITIGIL ng Bayan Muna ang isinasagawang “Online Tokhang” sa mga tumutuligsa sa gobyerno.
Ginawa ni House Deputy Minority leader at Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate at Bayan Muna chairman Neri Colmenares ang panawagan matapos na arestuhin ang salesman na si Reynaldo Orcullo na sinabing ‘gago’ si Pangulong Duterte sa social media at pagtuligsa sa mga pulis na umaresto sa mga kontra sa Pangulo.
“We condemn in the strongest terms the arrest of salesman Reynaldo Orcullo as well as other netizens critical of Pres. Rodrigo Duterte in the internet. This is an attack on the constitutional right to freedom of expression especially when Pres. Duterte and his supporters remain untouched by state security forces for serious attacks against perceived opponents and dissenters,” ani Colmenares.
Naniniwala si Colmenares na iligal ang pag-aresto kay Orcullo na hinuli ng walang warrant of arrest.
“Si Pres. Duterte parang hayop ang trato nya sa mga tingin nyang kalaban nya, may kasama pang mura at lahat ng pag yurak sa dangal. Tinawag nyang gago, magnanakaw o rapist ang mga pari at obispo. Bakit di sya kinakasuhan ng mga pulis? Pag si Duterte ang bumira, ok lang, pero pag ordinaryong tao ang bumira sa kanya, hindi na ok? That is tyranny and a clear intolerance of dissent,” puno ni Colmenares sa isang press statement.
Sa speech sa ika-122 anibersaryo ng Presidential Security Group noong Hunyo 26, 2019, tinawag ni Duterte si dating SC Justice Antonio Carpio na ‘stupid’.
“Why would the police arrest Orcullo for a supposed crime which Duterte himself has committed? This smacks of harassment as well as discrimination against the poor and defenseless and protecting the rich and powerful like Duterte. Ang problem ng mga pulis ay kung may isang milyong dissenters na tawagin syang gago sa Facebook, magkaka problema sila dahil isang milyon ang huhulihin nila para proteksyunan ang mahal nilang lider. So we challenge the police to also investigate Pres. Duterte for calling his opponents gago, istupido and other libelous remarks,” dagdag pa ni Colmenares.
Sinabi naman ni Zarate na dapat magsampa ng reklamo ang biktima ng iligal na pag-aresto ng pulisya sa Ombudsman.
“Those unjustly arrested for merely criticizing Pres. Duterte can file a case for illegal arrest as well as counter charges against the police in the Ombudsman or in ordinary courts,” dagdag pa ni Zarate na isang abugado.
Nanawagan din si Zarate sa mga abugado ng bansa na magbigay ng libreng serbisyo sa mga katulad ni Orcullo.
“We also call on lawyers throughout the country to provide legal services to those unjustly arrested and those who wish to file counter charges against those who abuse their power. This is not the kind of intolerant society, which we wish our children to live in. So this Online Tokhang should be stopped,” dagdag pa ni Zarate. “Pres. Rodrigo Duterte’s term will end in 2022. We ask his subordinates not to commit abuses while in power because Duterte will not be in power forever.”
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