DFA: 19 of 20 arrested Pinoys still under Qatar police custody

A Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) official said 19 of the 20 Filipinos arrested in Qatar for holding an unauthorized political demonstration on Friday, March 28, are still under police custody.

- By ARGYLL CYRUS GEDUCOS and ELLSON QUISMORIO

In an interview with Super Radyo dzBB, DFA Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega clarified that 20 Filipinos were arrested and not 17, as earlier reported.

"May isang na-release. Napayagan na makausap sila (One was already released. We were allowed to talk to them)," he said on Sunday, March 30.

"Sinusubukan nating ma-release sila (We're trying to get all of them released)," he added.

The Philippine Embassy in Qatar reported on Friday evening that several Filipinos were arrested there for "suspected unauthorized political demonstrations." De Vega said that the arrested Filipinos might have participated in a rally opposing the arrest and surrender of former president Rodrigo Duterte to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Duterte, who turned 80 on March 28, is under ICC custody in The Hague in The Netherlands for crimes against humanity for the killings during his drug war.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Embassy in Qatar had reiterated its warning to Filipinos in the Middle Eastern nation against holding demonstrations.