Manila: Government officials and relatives called for the release of three overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from jails in Qatar after their death and life sentences were downgraded after allegedly admitting to espionage and economic sabotage. Amnesty International says the trio admitted to the charges under duress.
“We should not stop fighting for the freedom of the OFWs even if the Qatar’s Appellate Court reversed on May 31 one OFWs’ death sentence to life imprisonment; and two OFWs’ life imprisonment to 15 years in jail,” said Vice-President Jejomar Binay, who is also Presidential Adviser on OFWs’ Concerns.
“The department of foreign affairs should continue providing legal assistance to them,” said Binay,
Filipino envoys held several meetings with government officials and government’s human rights committee in Qatar, to discuss this issue, said Philippine foreign affairs spokesman Charles Jose.
The allegations of spying and economic sabotage filed against the OFWs were not proven. The information they were accused of gathering and allegedly passing off to the Philippine government in 2010, was available in social media, their defence counsel Mohsin Al Suwaidim was quoted as saying.
All of them should be released because “they did not do anything wrong,” a relative said on TV.
The three jailed Filipinos are Ronaldo Lopez Ulep, 48, a former civilian employee of Qatar Air Force, another co-worker of his, who was not named and an employee at the state-owned Qatar Petroleum was also not named.
Ten million OFWs are based worldwide. Eighty-eight of them are on death rows for various crimes as of this year, the labour department said.
