Thread by @soltaule

Why are activists often charged with illegal possession of firearms and explosives?
(A thread)

The case of illegal possession of firearms is separate from illegal possession of explosives. Illegal possession of firearms is bailable and illegal possession of explosives is non-bailable in nature.

If the state considers activists as its enemy, logically, its objective is to put them behind bars over charges that are non-bailable

To justify the government's stance that activists are terrorists, planting of firearms and explosives is the best way to do it.

All other crimes in the revised penal code is harder to prove. If you charge activists with murder, kidnapping, arson etc., they will have to exert effort to find their witnesses who can pinpoint that a person indeed committed the crime charged.

And they cannot charge these cases against activists because they know that they don't have that damning evidence apart from bare allegations and common red-tagging. In short, inimbento lang.

So, the last resort is to choose the easiest way---to plant firearms and explosives. Come to think of it, who holds firearms and explosives in this country? Is it the activists or the police and military? Of course it is the latter.

They are the repository of all sorts of armaments which they can easily get from their camps during their operations. It's public knowledge that the authorities are known for setting up crime scenes and plant evidence.

During trial, the arresting/searching officers corroborate each other's narrative of lies. No other witnesses are presented but themselves.

We do not have scientific approach of dealing with fingerprints present in firearms and explosives during trial to know if indeed, fingerprints of the alleged owners can be seen in these items.

I'm pretty sure it's the police's fingerprint & handprint present in the firearms and explosives because they are the ones who planted it at the time they searched the premises of a particular area.

But because these alleged items found are immediately turned over to the police who serves as the custodian of the firearms and grenades, they can easily tamper evidence.

Lastly, the government does not hide the fact that it is launching massive crackdown against activists. And those who believe that this government is not capable of doing these acts is as dumb as those who plant firearms and explosives

The state holds the machinery and resources of the government to concoct stories and attack its perceived enemies through filing of trumped up charges.