The Philippine Justice Department announced on Monday ( October 21 ) that 19 members of an Islamic State-linked militant group have received life sentences for abducting foreign and Filipino nationals in Malaysia nearly 25 years ago.
Members of the Islamist radical party Abu Sayyaf kidnapped at gun 21 individuals from a vacation resort on the Indonesian island of Sipadan in April 2000.
The victims were imprisoned for months in Jolo, which is located about 955 kilometers north of Manila, before being executed for extortion for millions of dollars.
They included citizens of the Philippines, Finland, France, Germany, Lebanon, Malaysia, and South Africa.
The Department of Justice said in a speech that” this faith is a reflection of the DOJ’s unwavering efforts to uphold the rule of law without fear or falter.”
On October 16, the 17 defendants were found guilty of 21 counts of abduction and severe improper confinement with a payment. According to the 157-page determination, all were given life sentences, according to the AFP-viewed 157-page decision.
On a United Nations Security Council Sanctions List are listed two of the convicted felons, Hilarion Del Rosario Santos III and Redendo Cain Dellosa.
According to a statement from the Department of Justice, Santos and Dellosa were tagged by the government in 2008 for their “association” with Al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden and for their involvement in IS-linked violent activities.
The captors were not held accountable for terrorism because the abductions occurred in 2000, before quite applicable laws existed, the statement continued.
The accused were ordered to pay the 21 victims 300, 000 pesos ( US$ 5, 228 ) for civil indemnity, moral and exemplary damages.