ANGELES CITY – The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) yesterday demanded from the Aquino government the release of National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) consultant Alan Jazmines who is marking today, Valentines day, his first year of detention by the police.
“His arrest on February 14, 2011, was conducted on the very eve of the resumption of NDFP-GPH (Philippine government) formal peace negotiations in Oslo, Norway,” the CPP said in a statement released to media.
The CPP recalled that joint military and police teams disregarded Jasmines’ being immune from arrest as NDFP consultant in “violation of the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG) and in total contempt of the peace talks between the Philippine government and the NDFP.”
The CPP noted that JASIG exempts peace talks consultants and personnel from arrest “by either side.”
Jazmines is currently detained at the Philippine National Police (PNP) custodial center in Camp Crame and will be marking his first year in detention on February 14, the statement said.
The CPP bewailed “lack of compassion” of the government, noting that Jazmines is 65 years old and suffers from severe hypertension.
“Even while in detention, Jazmines is being subjected to harassment by police personnel, having been threatened thrice with being transferred to Camp Bicutan.
His family and friends are always having a hard time bringing in letters, reading materials and other legitimate items to his detention cell,” the CPP said.
The CPP said “the Aquino regime’s prolonged incarceration of Jazmines and failure to act on the clamour for the release of a total of 13 NDFP peace consultants show its low regard for the peace negotiations.”
“The Aquino regime is completely aware that the continued detention of Jazmines and other NDFP peace consultants who were arrested treacherously and in violation of peace agreements, is among the biggest stumbling blocks to the resumption of formal peace negotiations,” the CPP added.
The CPP also said that the failure of the government to release the NDFP consultants “distorts and misinterprets the JASIG and other standing agreements” between the NDFP and the Philippine government “in order to justify its prolonged detention of NDFP peace consultants and prevent the resumption of peace negotiations.”
