“The charges are not only baseless, they are meant to silence and persecute human rights lawyers, opposition leaders, and the Church, and to send a message to anyone who dares to criticize this administration,” Flag said in a statement. The group was founded in 1974 to defend human rights during martial law under dictator Ferdinand Marcos. ‘Pure harassment’ADVERTISEMENT“That they are accused of sedition and other criminal complaints is for me beyond belief,” Valles said in a statement. What motivates the supposed witness to give false testimonies is what in fact they (PNP) should be investigating,” David said on his Facebook page. It said the charges filed by the CIDG were “designed to intimidate, harass and interfere with our lawyers, who are just doing their jobs as human rights defenders.”Read NextLATEST STORIESMOST READ

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer July 20, 2019 22:07 UTC