Groups condemn impending release of Jennifer Laude's killer Pemberton

Rights groups on Thursday condemned the court order for the early release of US Marine Joseph Scott Pemberton, who was convicted for the 2014 killing Filipina transgender woman Jennifer Laude.

Karapatan described Pemberton's impending release as proof of the "lopsidedness towards US interests" of the US-Philippines Visiting Forces Agreement.

LGBTQ+ group Bahaghari called for the termination of the VFA, saying "there can never be justice for our slain sister Jennifer" as long as the agreement stands.

The Philippine government moved to abrogate the VFA in February this year, only to suspend the termination months later "in light of political and other developments in the region."

A court in Olongapo this week ordered Pemberton's release just over five years into his sentence of six to 10 years. The court ruled that the serviceman has exceeded the 10-year maximum penalty by a month, taking into account his good conduct time allowances on top of actual time served.

"This action will go down in the annals of Philippine history as among the most notorious proof that the US continues to trump Philippine sovereignty to this day," Karapatan said in a statement.

The group said President Rodrigo Duterte "continues to remain subservient to US interests, contrary to his posturing."

Laude's family has filed a motion for reconsideration. The Bureau of Corrections said it has put on hold the release process while waiting for the court to resolve the motion.

National Union of Peoples' Lawyers president Edre Olalia said he accepts reformative or rehabilitative measures for deserving and "truly remorseful" convicts—but not for a "foreign serviceman given special treatment and extraordinary privileges from the get go for a monstrous crime."

He contrasted Pemberton's case with that of "persecuted political prisoners" and "helpless and hapless yet deserving" detainees, whom he said have been made to wait for a reprieve.

This is an apparent reference to a still-pending case in the Supreme Court for the humanitarian release of elderly and sickly detainees amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

"In the Philippines, we have a justice system that is skewed for the interest of the rich, the powerful, and the favored, while the poor and those who challenge the oppressive status quo suffer in prison," Karapatan said. —AOL, GMA News