MANILA, Philippines — The Aetas who filed a petition before the Supreme Court questioning the constitutionality of the Anti-Terrorism Act were not forced to do so, progressive groups Karapatan and the National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL) insisted in separate statements on Tuesday.
The two groups issued the statements after the latest hearing of oral arguments on the Anti-Terrorism Act.
They denied the allegation of Solicitor General Jose Calida that the Aetas did not want to sign the petition in the first place.
“The two Aetas were ‘not forced to sign,'” the NUPL said. “In fact, they could not read or write.”
The Aetas, according to the NUPL, “just affixed their thumbm…
Keep on reading: Aetas who filed petition vs anti-terror law were not forced – NUPL, Karapatan