Lawyers denounce terror financing case vs ‘rights defenders’

MANILA, Philippines — Financing terrorism is a “dangerous accusation” against the 16 individuals, four of them nuns, who were indicted on Monday for allegedly violating the Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act of 2022.

The Union of Peoples’ Lawyers in Mindanao (UPLM) issued the statement on Tuesday, saying the nonbailable offense of providing funds to the Communist Party of the Philippines and New Peoples’ Army (CPP-NPA) was “aimed at suppressing and harassing human rights defenders.”

The nuns are members of the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines in the Northern Mindanao Region (RPM-NMR).

On Monday, the Department of Justice said that “probable cause exist…

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