2 Swedes Jailed Over Rp Cybersex Den

[gapotwo]

Outrageous!!!!What the heck is human trafficking has to do with it? They were just playing by their self in front of a camera and getting paid for it. The underage lolipop is to cover up and justify the life sentence.They were not forced to do it by violence or any other means of black mailing etcThey were adults and knew what they are doingThe country is full of prostitutes and related establishments everywhere, so what if they were naked online...hypocrites!!!!If no foreigners included i doubt it would make it to any court.What to say after that, just keep out of situations as such....

JOEATMANILA if you are really in manila, you would know that busting locals for whatever reason, usualy only makes local news. while busting foreigners makes world news ,the goal of the local government to get more international aid and moneys takes getting off the international watch list. so dont feel bad about foreigners getting busted for filth crimes against people for it is just another day of business in the WILD WILD EAST. btw. how does it feel to be the minority in their country? welcome to the philippines . tanks EJ.:AddEmoticons04230:

[Old55]

I have zero sympathy for those two morons. The fairness or justice of the sentence is not up for debate they chose to do what they did in the Philippines and now will be held accountable.

Why is that, should we not be allowed to express our opinion? I thought that's what forums are about. Are you sure you know all the facts based upon a couple of newspaper articles? I don't know all the facts either, and I don't condone it for a minute, but a life sentence seems outrageously harsh.

Mike, your point is well taken. I do not know for sure the exact facts.You and any other forum member absolutely has every right to express their opinion here and that is how we can learn and share ideas its what makes this a great place. Perhaps I did not articulate my point well. What I meant to say is any Foreigner visiting or living in Philippines must clearly understand that while in Philippines anything can happen and justice or rule of law as we may know it in our homeland is not applicable. I love the place (Philippines) but hate some of the sh&t that goes down there. As you know, and the fact is someone in power could have you or your family executed jailed or whatever. End of subject done... over, finished get a backhoe whatever. Philippines has a very dark side to it you darn better understand and acknowledge it that my friend is a FACT.Those that take part in risky behavior know the risk. Simple. As a Foreigner we are always outsiders if you want to play with the crocodiles be warned you could be lunch.On the other hand those two men could have been innocent visitors and you are correct the newspapers are well known to be slanted.

[joeatmanila]

Outrageous!!!!What the heck is human trafficking has to do with it? They were just playing by their self in front of a camera and getting paid for it. The underage lolipop is to cover up and justify the life sentence.They were not forced to do it by violence or any other means of black mailing etcThey were adults and knew what they are doingThe country is full of prostitutes and related establishments everywhere, so what if they were naked online...hypocrites!!!!If no foreigners included i doubt it would make it to any court.What to say after that, just keep out of situations as such....

JOEATMANILA if you are really in manila, you would know that busting locals for whatever reason, usualy only makes local news. while busting foreigners makes world news ,the goal of the local government to get more international aid and moneys takes getting off the international watch list. so dont feel bad about foreigners getting busted for filth crimes against people for it is just another day of business in the WILD WILD EAST. btw. how does it feel to be the minority in their country? welcome to the philippines . tanks EJ.:AddEmoticons04230:

Yes i am at manila. I willl agree with your point, they will not hesitate to ruin peoples lives just to withdraw attention and extract more money,Now as it showed, who will ever believe two foreigners "forced" a dosen filipinas stripping on cameras...how did they force them? If a filipina even makes the slightest sound against a foreigner here he probably sees the police station or a jail or the airport and banned from the country. Yes i totally agree with a post above they said they were forced just so to justify their deed. Most likely during the arrest they been told to say so, they walked away with no charges. The 3 locals who got 20 years, probably they played the tough boys in police eyes and decided to sacrifice them for the purpose.I do not feel bad being a minority. I learned my ways to live fine and without anyone bothering me no more. I avoid conflicts with the law and live a family life in general. Yes i feel bad for the sweds but they should know better what they were getting into. All of us have been lured one way or another to participate in spice fun situations or businesses here, the ones who avoid it keep on enjoying, the ones who walk the mile...unlimited examples of ruined lives, lost fortunes etc etc.

[Call me bubba]

I have zero sympathy for those two morons. The fairness or justice of the sentence is not up for debate they chose to do what they did in the Philippines and now will be held accountable.

Why is that, should we not be allowed to express our opinion? I thought that's what forums are about. Are you sure you know all the facts based upon a couple of newspaper articles? I don't know all the facts either, and I don't condone it for a minute, but a life sentence seems outrageously harsh.

Mike, your point is well taken. I do not know for sure the exact facts.You and any other forum member absolutely has every right to express their opinion here and that is how we can learn and share ideas its what makes this a great place. Perhaps I did not articulate my point well. What I meant to say is any Foreigner visiting or living in Philippines must clearly understand that while in Philippines anything can happen and justice or rule of law as we may know it in our homeland is not applicable. I love the place (Philippines) but hate some of the sh&t that goes down there. As you know, and the fact is someone in power could have you or your family executed jailed or whatever. End of subject done... over, finished get a backhoe whatever. Philippines has a very dark side to it you darn better understand and acknowledge it that my friend is a FACT.Those that take part in risky behavior know the risk. Simple. As a Foreigner we are always outsiders if you want to play with the crocodiles be warned you could be lunch.On the other hand those two men could have been innocent visitors and you are correct the newspapers are well known to be slanted.

THE article I used was from BBC news & a swedish online paper. I did find the "local" news but I too felt it was slightly "slanted" 2....YOU are so very CORRECT when here in RP you play under their laws .we are just "outsiders"3. if you will read further in depth the 2 men had been arrested in 2009 for operating " W....e" house As previously stated this forum is for an exchange of ideals,sharing of information,educational and a "safe" way to share our "joys" or " anger" . Edited May 11, 2011 by ed villas

[Jollygoodfellow]

The fairness or justice of the sentence is not up for debate

Why is that, should we not be allowed to express our opinion? I thought that's what forums are about. Are you sure you know all the facts based upon a couple of newspaper articles? I don't know all the facts either, and I don't condone it for a minute, but a life sentence seems outrageously harsh.

I think and I can not answer for old55 but seems like the statement is taken out of context,I read it as we have no way of changing the law of the Philippines and as foreigner's have no right to either. So fair or not,justice or not then it is not up to us to decide what should be applicable to another country's laws.Maybe I am wrong but thats how I see it.

[Old55]

The fairness or justice of the sentence is not up for debate

Why is that, should we not be allowed to express our opinion? I thought that's what forums are about. Are you sure you know all the facts based upon a couple of newspaper articles? I don't know all the facts either, and I don't condone it for a minute, but a life sentence seems outrageously harsh.

I think and I can not answer for old55 but seems like the statement is taken out of context,I read it as we have no way of changing the law of the Philippines and as foreigner's have no right to either. So fair or not,justice or not then it is not up to us to decide what should be applicable to another country's laws.Maybe I am wrong but thats how I see it.

Thanks Tom, Mike was correct to call it out as it was somewhat ambiguous. Edited May 12, 2011 by Old55

[Jake]

Reading the various news articles did not go into details on the final disposition of the presiding judge. There may have been some extraordinary circumstances to give them life sentences and only 20 years for their local cohorts. It certain put this local crime on international spotlight. Will this curtail others involved in global cyber sex to stop using minors? I don't think so -- I believe the world wide flesh market will continue as long as the perverted man has the use of a credit card. And the local officials/protectors are paid to look the other way. It is unfortunate that developing countries such as the Philippines are taken advantages of the mighty dollar and easy money for the starving poor.Respectfully -- Jake

[Jollygoodfellow]

Their side of the story....CAGAYAN DE ORO, Philippines--Two Swedish computer experts jailed for life in the Philippines on cybersex charges say they are living a nightmare among hardened criminals and insist they did nothing wrong.Emil Andreas Solemo and Bo Stefan Sederholm were this week convicted of human trafficking for running an operation in which 17 naked women in an office building performed in front of cameras for overseas Internet clients.The government hailed the verdict as a landmark victory in the battle against human trafficking because the Swedes were the first to be handed life sentences for what has in recent years become a booming cybersex industry.But both men claim most of the evidence against them was fabricated or obtained illegally, and appear bewildered why they should be jailed for Internet pornography when prostitution is rampant across the Philippines."We don't see ourselves as human traffickers at all," Solemo, 35, said in an exclusive interview with AFP on Thursday from a crowded jail in the southern city of Cagayan de Oro where they have been since their arrest in April 2009.Sederholm, 31, bristled at their portrayal by the Philippine press as modern-day slave traders."The women were not forced to do it. It was nothing like that at all," said Sederholm, who like his business partner was wearing a prison-issue yellow T-shirt, long shorts and sandals.Solemo, a tall man with gold-rimmed glasses and a goatee, said he and Sederholm were IT consultants who had been been hired to set up the computer systems at the cybersex shop where the women worked in Cagayan de Oro.Although they refused to say who hired them, they denied police charges that they owned the business and recruited the women, saying they only arrived in the country a month before being arrested.The Swedes also pointed out that the women working in the cybersex operation were all adults -- prosecutors never alleged that minors were involved -- and said the case against them smacked of hypocrisy."Some say it's (cybersex) demeaning and horrible, but you can go to any city in the Philippines and see girls who are dancing on poles in skimpy clothes. It's absurd... there are places there that openly sell girls," Solemo said."What we have undertaken here would not have been considered as trafficking anywhere in the West. In the United States or elsewhere it is not illegal to undress before computer cameras if you are of legal age."Sederholm said they believed they had become scapegoats to make authorities look good to the United States, which put the Philippines on a blacklist of countries deemed as not doing enough to combat human trafficking."They wanted to make a trophy case of us to show to the United States that something is being done about human trafficking," Sederholm said.But the judge who delivered the verdict against the Swedes, Jeoffre Acebido, said anyone who sexually exploited impoverished Philippine women should be punished."Disrespect for Filipino women and violations of our laws deserve the strongest condemnations from this court," Acebido wrote in his ruling."It will not shirk from its duty to impose the most severe of penalties against anybody, be he a foreign national or a citizen of this country, who tramples upon the dignity of a woman by taking advantage of her vulnerability."Beverly Musli, the head of a local women's rights group that helped prosecutors gather evidence in the case, also said the Swedes deserved to be in jail."It's still trafficking because the victims were recruited from all over the Philippines and transported to the south," said Musli, who is a lawyer.She said focusing on cybersex when prostitution was a widespread and open problem across the country was not hypocrisy."We are doing our best in stopping all forms of violence against women," she said.Both Swedes said they had not given up hope that they would win an acquittal on appeal."You just can't bury yourself and say you'll not move, not eat. We have to keep going and hoping. Of course we will appeal. We're not going to lie down," Solemo said.But they indicated they were struggling physically and mentally in the crowded jail, sharing a small cell with five other people accused of crimes including murder and drug trafficking."In some ways it's worse than a nightmare in that you can not wake up. It's the nightmare of not knowing whether we would be spending the next 20-25 years of our life in jail," Solemo said.Sederholm refused to discuss his personal life.But Solemo spoke emotionally about his own plight, saying his father died a month ago, his girlfriend had left him and he had lost 17 kilogrammes (37.5 pounds) while in jail. http://newsinfo.inqu...ersex-nightmare

[Call me bubba]

Their side of the story....CAGAYAN DE ORO, Philippines--Two Swedish computer experts jailed for life in the Philippines on cybersex charges say they are living a nightmare among hardened criminals and insist they did nothing wrong.Emil Andreas Solemo and Bo Stefan Sederholm were this week convicted of human trafficking for running an operation in which 17 naked women in an office building performed in front of cameras for overseas Internet clients.The government hailed the verdict as a landmark victory in the battle against human trafficking because the Swedes were the first to be handed life sentences for what has in recent years become a booming cybersex industry.But both men claim most of the evidence against them was fabricated or obtained illegally, and appear bewildered why they should be jailed for Internet pornography when prostitution is rampant across the Philippines."We don't see ourselves as human traffickers at all," Solemo, 35, said in an exclusive interview with AFP on Thursday from a crowded jail in the southern city of Cagayan de Oro where they have been since their arrest in April 2009.Sederholm, 31, bristled at their portrayal by the Philippine press as modern-day slave traders."The women were not forced to do it. It was nothing like that at all," said Sederholm, who like his business partner was wearing a prison-issue yellow T-shirt, long shorts and sandals.Solemo, a tall man with gold-rimmed glasses and a goatee, said he and Sederholm were IT consultants who had been been hired to set up the computer systems at the cybersex shop where the women worked in Cagayan de Oro.Although they refused to say who hired them, they denied police charges that they owned the business and recruited the women, saying they only arrived in the country a month before being arrested.The Swedes also pointed out that the women working in the cybersex operation were all adults -- prosecutors never alleged that minors were involved -- and said the case against them smacked of hypocrisy."Some say it's (cybersex) demeaning and horrible, but you can go to any city in the Philippines and see girls who are dancing on poles in skimpy clothes. It's absurd... there are places there that openly sell girls," Solemo said."What we have undertaken here would not have been considered as trafficking anywhere in the West. In the United States or elsewhere it is not illegal to undress before computer cameras if you are of legal age."Sederholm said they believed they had become scapegoats to make authorities look good to the United States, which put the Philippines on a blacklist of countries deemed as not doing enough to combat human trafficking."They wanted to make a trophy case of us to show to the United States that something is being done about human trafficking," Sederholm said.But the judge who delivered the verdict against the Swedes, Jeoffre Acebido, said anyone who sexually exploited impoverished Philippine women should be punished."Disrespect for Filipino women and violations of our laws deserve the strongest condemnations from this court," Acebido wrote in his ruling."It will not shirk from its duty to impose the most severe of penalties against anybody, be he a foreign national or a citizen of this country, who tramples upon the dignity of a woman by taking advantage of her vulnerability."Beverly Musli, the head of a local women's rights group that helped prosecutors gather evidence in the case, also said the Swedes deserved to be in jail."It's still trafficking because the victims were recruited from all over the Philippines and transported to the south," said Musli, who is a lawyer.She said focusing on cybersex when prostitution was a widespread and open problem across the country was not hypocrisy."We are doing our best in stopping all forms of violence against women," she said.Both Swedes said they had not given up hope that they would win an acquittal on appeal."You just can't bury yourself and say you'll not move, not eat. We have to keep going and hoping. Of course we will appeal. We're not going to lie down," Solemo said.But they indicated they were struggling physically and mentally in the crowded jail, sharing a small cell with five other people accused of crimes including murder and drug trafficking."In some ways it's worse than a nightmare in that you can not wake up. It's the nightmare of not knowing whether we would be spending the next 20-25 years of our life in jail," Solemo said.Sederholm refused to discuss his personal life.But Solemo spoke emotionally about his own plight, saying his father died a month ago, his girlfriend had left him and he had lost 17 kilogrammes (37.5 pounds) while in jail. http://newsinfo.inqu...ersex-nightmare

here is basically the same story from the swedish online paperhttp://www.thelocal.se/33746/20110513/ Edited May 13, 2011 by ed villas

[Mr Lee]

The jails worldwide are full of innocent people, well people who say they are innocent anyway. It must be a flaw most of the humans on this planet have, because few if any will man up and admit they did a crime, unless they get a shorter sentence for doing so, and even then they always profess that they were forced into confessing and were not guilty. I find the statements in Boss Mans post interesting, so in other words because others do crimes, then it is naturally OK for them to do it. NOT! This is not Kansas and you cannot click your heals to get home, even if you walk down the golden road, because the only golden road here is one from golden showers.