The Communist Party of the Philippines confirmed that its high-ranking leaders, Benito and Wilma Tiamzon, were killed by the military after being captured and tortured. The Tiamzons were deemed fugitives by the Anti-Terrorism Council.

The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) confirmed on Thursday that two of its high-ranking leaders, Benito Tiamzon and Wilma Austria-Tiamzon, were captured and killed by the military. The group claimed that the Tiamzons were among the 10 people brutally tortured and killed by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in August 2022, contrary to earlier reports they may have died in a boat explosion. The military had reported that a boat exploded in waters off Catbalogan, Samar following an alleged gunfight between soldiers and passengers, which may have included the Tiamzons. The CPP claimed that the reported mid-sea firefight and explosion “were all a drama hatched by the AFP and its US military advisers to hide all evidence of the ignominy of their fascist crime.” The group said the Philippine troops involved in the supposed armed encounter were “trained and commanded by the US military.” The Tiamzons were considered fugitives and had been accused of kidnapping four Army lieutenants in 1988.