Filipino communist leader Sison dies at 83 after living in exile in the Netherlands

José Maria Sison, the Filipino communist leader who lived in self-imposed exile in the Netherlands since 1987, died at the age of 83 in a hospital in Utrecht. He was hospitalized there for two weeks, his party reported in a statement to AFP news agency. However, it is yet still unclear what he died of.

Sison founded the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) in 1968, an organization based on the ideas of Marx, Lenin and Mao. A year later, the guerrilla movement New People's Army (NPA) emerged from that party, of which Sison was also the leader. The organization was responsible for numerous acts of terror.

Because of his struggle against the Philippine government, Sison was imprisoned in 1977. After the rebel leader was released in the 1980s, he fled to the Netherlands. Later, he applied for political asylum here, but it was rejected because of his contacts with terrorist organizations.

The rebel leader, who was also a writer and activist, was never granted refugee status or a residence permit in the Netherlands. Nevertheless, it was decided in 1996 that Sison could stay in the Netherlands and would not be deported, because his life would be in danger upon his return to the Philippines.

In 2002, the European Union placed Sison on the list of persons and organizations allegedly supporting terrorism. That was reversed a few years later.

In the statement about his death, his party wrote that "the toiling people mourn the death of their teacher and guiding light".

The Philippine Department of Defense issued a statement calling on "the remaining few believers" to "turn their backs on the violent and false ideology."

According to the Philippine ministry, "the biggest stumbling block to peace in the Philippines is gone." At its peak, the NPA numbered about 25,000 fighters. Of those, about 2,000 remain, according to the military.