Wife seeks release of jailed activist Vic Ladlad, 77

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MANILA, Philippines — The wife of political prisoner Vicente Ladlad asked the Supreme Court on Friday to order the immediate release of the 77-year-old activist as she seeks equal treatment and protection accorded to high-profile political figures based on humanitarian grounds.

Accompanied by lawyers from the Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG), Kapatid spokesperson Fides Lim filed a petition for the writ of habeas corpus to urge the high tribunal to free the political prisoner, who has been held for nearly eight years on charges of illegal possession of firearms and explosives.

Jail Chief Inspector Mar Jan Mabunga, the warden of Metro Manila District Jail Annex IV, is the sole respondent in the petition.

“If people are truly equal under the law, the Supreme Court should grant our petition for the writ of habeas corpus for the release of (Ladlad) on humanitarian grounds and for the protection of his rights,” Lim told the Inquirer.