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| Palace Press Officer Claire Castro announces the dropping of charges (PCO photo) |
The Qatari government has dropped charges of illegal assembly lodged against 17 Filipinos who joined a protest rally condemning the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte at a beach just outside Doha on Mar 27.
This was announced by Malacanang at a press conference yesterday.
According to Palace Press Officer Claire Castro, the 17 overseas Filipino workers can now decide whether they wish to return to their jobs or go back to the Philippines.
President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. also announced the “good news” in a social media post.
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| Basahin ang detalye! |
He said he was informed about the dismissal of the charges during earlier talks with Qatari Ambassador to the Philippines Ahmed Saad Nasser Abdullah Al-Homidi.
“I am happy to announce that Qatar will no longer prosecute the 17 of our compatriots who were recently detained there for illegal assembly. They will no longer face any punishment and can return to work,” the President said.
Under Qatari law, those found guilty of illegal assembly may face up to three years’ imprisonment and fined by as much as 50,000 Qatari riyals (P783,718.03)
The
17, 12 men and five women, were given provisional release on Friday, Apr 4, eight
days after their arrest. According to the Department of Foreign Affairs, the
17, one of whom had an expired visa, were singled out because they were wearing
pro-Duterte t-shirts.
The rally which sought Duterte’s return to the Philippines, was held a day before the 80th birthday of the former president who is now detained at The Hague after being arrested in the Philippines on Mar 12, by virtue of an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court.
Duterte who faces crimes against humanity charges, first appeared before the ICC via video link on Mar 14, where he confirmed his identity. He is due to appear before the court again in September.
His last public appearance was on Mar 9 in Hong Kong, during which he joined his daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio, in campaigning for their senatorial candidates in next month’s mid-term elections in the Philippines.
The ICC’s record on the charges against Duterte can be found here: https://www.icc-cpi.int/philippines/duterte
