Printer FriendlyReview: Convicted of crimes they couldn’t have committed
Give Up Tomorrow - Directed by Michael Collins
In 1997 Paco Larranaga was arrested at his college in Manila in relation to the kidnapping and murder of two young women 350 miles away in his hometown of Cebu. Confident of his innocence and sure that 35 of his classmates could vouch for his presence in Manila on the night of the alleged crimes, Paco boarded a plane to Cebu to clear his name. So begins a Kafkaesque story of corruption, injustice, and a family in crisis, culminating in the Philippines ‘trial of the century.’ The film follows the trial of the ‘Chiong 7’ during which it is revealed that the bodies of the victims were not the missing girls, the State's star witness was tortured to confess and the judge was found dead in a hotel room in suspicious circumstances.
Paco and his co-accused were not allowed to give evidence in their own defence and had their own lawyers thrown into jail for contempt of court. All seven young men were convicted of crimes they could not have committed. All seven young men were sentenced to death.
Small mercy came in 2005 with the abolition of the death penalty in the Philippines and following a long campaign by NGOs, including Fair Trials International and Reprieve, Paco's transfer to his father's homeland of Spain in 2009. However, Paco remains in prison in Spain to this day unable to be released on parole until he admits his ‘guilt’.
Give Up Tomorrow, directed by Michael Collins and produced by Marty Syjuco exposes some of the truths behind a case that has enraged and enraptured the Philippines for the past 14 years. It also presents a simple yet powerful story of a family, torn apart by the incarceration of a son and brother. It draws out the dramatic struggle between two mothers as they fight to exonerate or execute Paco.
For lawyers, the film raises questions such as how the Philippines could completely fail to comply with its obligations in international law to protect the right to a fair trial? How could they fail to respond to the UN Human Rights Committee when they told them that Paco had suffered a ‘flagrant denial of justice’ and should be freed within 90 days and how set against that background can Spain continue to detain him and claim to protect his rights under the European Convention on Human Rights?
Shown in an edited form on BBC4 in April 2011, the film had its cinematic premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York, where it won the audience choice award. It has gone on to also win awards at the Sheffield Doc Festival and Michael Moores' Traverse City Film festival where it won best activism film. All of these awards are a reflection of the emotional reaction this film incites in its audience. Few can leave the auditorium without demanding how can this happen and how can we help? Find the answer at www.justiceforpaco.com as the campaign continues to set him and the Chiong 7 free.
Give Up Tomorrow continues to be shown around Europe, for more details see www.giveuptomorrow.com
Anna Morris
