Crispin Beltran

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Filipino Congressman Crispin 'Ka Bel' Beltran

Crispin 'Ka Bel' Beltran (born January 7, 1933) is a Filipino politician, Labour leader and currently a political prisoner. As a member 13th Congress of the Philippines with the Anakpawis or the 'Toiling Masses Partylist' and former chair of Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU), a militant and progressive labor movement, he has been a major figure in contemporary Filipino history.

1 Imprisonment
2 International Campaign
3 Notes
4 External Links

[edit] Imprisonment

He was charged by the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) on February 27, 2006 with with sedition and rebellion, along with four other members of congress, Satur Ocampo y Cunanan, Teodoro Casiño, Joel Virador, and Liza Maza. To avoid arrest, the group, henceforth known as the Batasan five, found shelter at the Batasan Complex. Beltran, however, was detained and is still incarcerated. He is currently in Quezon City at the Philippine Heart Center (due to the deterioration of his health in prison). As an active critic of the current administration of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, his incarceration has been seen as part of a recent policy of political repression in the Philippines, Oplan Banta Laya.

[edit] International Campaign

An international campaign has been organized calling for the immediate release of Beltran. One group, the 'Free Ka Bel Movement' has local chapters in Southern Tagalog, Davao and Cebu and international chapters in Hongkong, Japan, US, Canada, Australia and Switzerland. ^[1] Some 99 parliamentarians from across the world support the release of Crispin Beltran coming from 11 countries and 13 parliaments, including the Netherlands, Cambodia, Burma, New Zealand, Belgium, Chile, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, the European Parliament, Switzerland, Denmark, and the Flemish Parliament.^[2] They have been as yet unsuccessful, though various attempts have been made including those by Keith Locke, MP, Foreign Affairs Critic of the Green Party of New Zealand^[3].