: Philippine President Pardons U.S. Marine in 2014 Killing of Trans Woman Jennifer Laude #WorldNEWS (MANILA, Philippines) — The Philippine president pardoned a U. S. Marine on Monday in a surprise

Philippine President Pardons U.S. Marine in 2014 Killing of Trans Woman Jennifer Laude #WorldNEWS
(MANILA, Philippines) — The Philippine president pardoned a U. S. Marine on Monday in a surprise move that will free him from imprisonment in the 2014 killing of a transgender Filipino woman that sparked anger in the former American colony.
President Rodrigo Duterte said he decided to pardon Lance Cpl. Joseph Scott Pemberton because the Marine was not treated fairly after opponents blocked his early release for good conduct in detention.
A left-wing human rights group, Karapatan, immediately condemned the pardon as a “despicable and shameless mockery of justice and servility to U. S. imperialist interests. ”

Pemberton was convicted of homicide and has been serving a prison term of six to 10 years for the killing of Jennifer Laude in a motel in Olongapo city, northwest of Manila. His lawyer, Rowena Garcia-Flores, told The Associated Press that Pemberton was already aware of Duterte’s decision when she called him.
“I heard the news,” Garcia-Flores quoted the 25-year-old Pemberton as saying. “I’m very happy. ”

J Gerard Seguia—Pacific Press/Getty ImagesMembers of the League of Filipino Students protest frustrations in front of the U. S. embassy in Manila over the treatment of the convicted killer of Jennifer Laude on Oct. 11, 2016.
Meeting Pemberton in detention a few days ago, she said he expressed his willingness to apologize to the Laude family even belatedly. Pemberton would likely be removed from the Marines due to his conviction and plans to work in the U. S. , Garcia-Flores added.
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque, who once served as a lawyer for the Laude family, said the presidential pardon would mean the immediate release of Pemberton from detention.
“The president has erased the punishment that should be imposed on Pemberton. What the president did not erase was the conviction of Pemberton. He’s still a killer,” Roque told reporters.
Laude’s family denounced Duterte’s action as a grave injustice, including to the LGBTQ community, family lawyer Virginia Suarez said.
Duterte is one of the most vocal critics in Southeast Asia of U. S. security policies. But on Monday he said, “If there is a time where you are called upon to be fair, be fair.
Last week, the Regional Trial Court in Olongapo city, which handled Pemberton’s case, ordered authorities to release him early from detention for good conduct, but Laude’s family appealed, blocking the Marine’s early release. Roque said the Department of Justice was planning a separate appeal.
The court order rekindled perceptions that American military personnel who run afoul of Philippine laws can get special treatment under the allies’ Visiting Forces Agreement, which provides the legal framework for temporary visits by U.