A Philippine court has sentenced seventeen militants to life in prison for resort kidnappings

MANILA: Seventeen members of an Islamic State-linked militant group have been sentenced to life in prison for kidnapping foreign and Filipino nationals in Malaysia almost 25 years ago, the Philippine Justice Department said Monday (Oct 21).

In April 2000, members of the Islamist extremist group Abu Sayyaf kidnapped 21 people at gunpoint from a resort on the Malaysian island of Sipadan.

The hostages were held captive for months in the jungles of Jolo, about 600 miles south of Manila, until they were freed for millions of dollars.

They included nationals of the Philippines, Finland, France, Germany, Lebanon, Malaysia and South Africa.

“This conviction is a reflection of the DOJ’s relentless efforts to uphold the rule of law without fear or falter,” the Justice Department said in a statement.

The 17 suspects were found guilty on October 16 of 21 charges of kidnapping and serious illegal detention for ransom. All were sentenced to life imprisonment on each count, according to the 157-page decision seen by AFP.

Two of the convicts – Hilarion Del Rosario Santos III and Redendo Cain Dellosa – are listed on a United Nations Security Council sanctions list.

Santos and Dellosa were labeled by the council in 2008 for their “association” with al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden, and for their participation in operations by IS-linked militant groups Abu Sayyaf, Jemaah Islamiyah and the Rajah Solaiman Movement, the ministry of Justice statement said.

The kidnappers could not be charged with terrorism as the kidnappings took place in 2000, before the country had such applicable laws, it added.

The suspects were ordered to pay the 21 victims 300,000 pesos ($5,228) for civil, moral and exemplary damages.