PH court hands down first conviction on terrorist for crimes against humanity
Credit to Author: The Manila Times| Date: Fri, 15 Mar 2019 11:24:52 +0000
A Philippine court on Friday handed down the country’s first conviction of a terrorist for crimes against humanity and genocide and sentenced him to reclusion perpetua.
Junaid Awal, a member of the IS-inspired Maute Group, was also found guilty by the Taguig Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 70 of rebellion for his participation in the uprising against the government in Marawi City in 2017 and was sentenced from 8 years and 1 day to 14 years, 8 months and 1 day. He was also required by the court to pay a P500,000 fine.
Awal’s conviction for the crimes against huanity was in violation of the Philippine Act on Crimes Against International Humanitarian Law, the Department of Justice (DoJ) said.
The Maute group seized Marawi City in May 2017 in a bid to establish a caliphate or an independent state to be headed by an emir.
The act of rebellion forced President Rodrigo Duterte to declare martial law as he ordered the deployment of troops to quell the uprising that displaced thousands of residents, damaged infrastructure and landmarks and killed hundreds of soldiers and insurgents over five months of fighting.
The liberation of Marawi in October 2017 and the government’s task of rebuilding the city and holding off terrorists prompted Duterte to ask Congress two more times for an extension of martial law, the last to end in December 2019. NEIL JAYSON N. SERVALLOS
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