Manila court throws out rebellion case
The Philippine Supreme Court has thrown out a rebellion case against about 50 left-wing lawmakers, renegade army officers and communist guerrillas accused of conspiring to violently oust President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo last year.
The high tribunal’s July 2 ruling, which was made public Tuesday, forced the government to order the release of left-wing Rep. Crispin Beltran, who was detained after generals loyal to Arroyo quashed the alleged coup plot in February 2006.
Beltran, whose detention has sparked anti-government protests, has been held in a suburban Manila hospital because of a heart ailment. “This is a vindication,” Beltran, 74, said by telephone from his Philippine Heart Center room.
He criticized Arroyo for his long detention, accusing her government of fabricating the rebellion charges against him and others in an attempt to muzzle legitimate dissent and fight communist guerrilla leaders, some of whom were charged in the case.
Five left-wing lawmakers implicated in the plot had sought refuge in Congress until they got a court order shielding them from arrest.
Officers also said to be part of the rebellion remain in detention to face separate charges before a military court.
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