Video: Jose Maria Sison’s solidarity message for Palestinian Prisoners’ Day

Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network expresses its warmest greetings to Prof. Jose Maria Sison and the Filipino people for their solidarity with the Palestinian political prisoners and the Palestinian liberation struggle. In the video below, Joma Sison, Chairperson Emeritus of the International League of Peoples’ Struggle (ILPS) and Chief Political Consultant of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines, expresses his solidarity with the Palestinian prisoners as part of the international week of action for Palestinian Prisoners’ Day from 10-17 April.

As Samidoun, we also reiterate our full support and solidarity to our comrades and friends in the Philippines by demanding the release of all 532 political prisoners in the country. Among them are 44 elders, 61 women, 118 sick prisoners, five children and 10 consultants for the National Democratic Front of the Philippines. Amid the global pandemic of COVID-19, the situation of these prisoners in the jails and detention camps run by the current U.S.-backed fascist government presents a serious threat to their lives.

Samidoun is a member of the International League of Peoples’ Struggle, along with many mass organizations and popular movements in the Philippines, who have been targeted for severe repression. Following the ILPS conference in Manila in 2015, Samidoun’s European coordinator Mohammed Khatib participated in the launch of the Philippines-Palestine Friendship Association, along with Leila Khaled.

Watch the video here:

Full text of the video by Prof. Jose Maria Sison:

Dear Comrades and Fellow Activists,

On my personal behalf as  Chairperson Emeritus of the International League of Peoples’ Struggle  and as Chief Political Consultant of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines  and on behalf  of the NDFP and the Filipino people, I wish to convey through the Samidoun warmest greetings of revolutionary solidarity to the Palestinian political prisoners and to the Palestinian people in their struggle for national and social liberation against US imperialism and  Israeli Zionism.

We join you in celebrating the Palestinian Prisoners Day, in honoring all the Palestinian political prisoners together with all martyrs and heroes for  their self-sacrificing and noble struggle for the liberation of the Palestinian people, in condemning the violations of their democratic rights and fundamental freedoms and in demanding humane treatment for the political prisoners and their freedom from their unjust  imprisonment.

The Filipino people and their revolutionary forces share a strong sense of solidarity with the Palestinian people and revolutionary forces because they are waging a common struggle against US imperialism and its reactionary puppets such as Israeli Zionism and the big comprador-landlord regime in the Philippines. We are all inspired by the sacrifices made by the political prisoners and all the martyrs and heroes in order to advance the struggle for national and social liberation.

We take this occasion to thank the Samidoun for expressing the solidarity of the Palestinian political prisoners with the Filipino political prisoners and of the Palestinian people with the Filipino people and for joining the campaign to demand the freedom of  political prisoners in the Philippines. We have a special concern for the release of all the student political prisoners who have been arrested and imprisoned for exercising their democratic rights.

All political prisoners in the world, especially the sick and elderly and the social activists who have exercised their democratic rights in defense of the people, must be freed in the face of the extremely contagious and deadly COVID-19. It is unjust to continue imprisoning them and serving them to the jaws of death. The imperialists and their reactionary puppets can only prepare their doom in the long course of history as they refuse to respect the just cause of the oppressed people and heed the just demands for their freedom.

Long live the solidarity of the Palestinian and Filipino political prisoners!

Release all political prisoners at this time of the COVID-19 pandemic!

Long live the solidarity and common struggle of the Palestinian and Filipino peoples!