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Philippines: Free Our Sisters! Free Ourselves!
Free Our Sisters, Free Ourselves!
(An Update: 21 May 2006)
The headlines in Manila's most circulated broadsheet read:
May 12 - Two More Leftists Shot Dead
May 13 - Batasan 5 Charged Again
May 15 - 93rd Leftist Leader Killed
A total of 601 have been victims of political killings from the time Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo assumed the Philippine presidency in 2001 up to May 20,
2006 according to Karapatan (Alliance for the Advancement of People's
Rights). Of this number, 258 belonged to cause-oriented organizations and
the rest were civilians who had been accused of being active in or
supporting the people's democratic movement. Bayan Muna (The People First)
partylist is the hardest hit with 94 of its members killed by elements from
the military, police, para-military units or hired killers. The Anakpawis
(Toiling Masses) partylist has lost 21 of its coordinators and members.
GABRIELA, the alliance, has lost five mebers while the Gabriela Women's
Partylist (GWP), 3. A total of 68 women have been summarily executed by the
Arroyo government. The killings are part of its Oplan Bantay Laya (OBL), a
national program of the Armed Forces of the Philippines with full knowledge
and approval of its Commander-in-Chief Gloria Arroyo. It includes those from
the democratic movement as targets for assassination and summary execution.
In 2006 alone, there are already 70 victims of the military's summary
execution.
Political persecution continues as Arroyo's vengeance against her critics.
"One week after being rebuffed by a Makati judge, the Department of Justice
(DOJ) yesterday (May 12) filed new rebellion charges against the "Batasan 5"
lawmakers and 41 others." (PDI 13 May 2006) The Batasan 5 stepped out of
the protective custody of the Philippine House of representatives without
the threat of arrest on May 8. It was an occasion for rejoicing for the
people's representatives and their supporters after the judge granted
defense's motion to strike out the amended information which would have
added 46 individuals to the two already charged with rebellion. In effect
there was no case against them.
But after frustrating DOJ's attempt to secure warrants of arrest, said judge
was slapped by the DOJ with a motion to inhibit herself, which she did. The
case was raffled off to another judge on May 15. It is now a long wait for
the judge's ruling which can either be an issuance of warrants of arrest,
grant of bail because the evidence is not strong enough or dismissal due to
insufficiency of evidence, depending on how fairly and independently the
judge will act.
It will be recalled that after the Presidential Proclamation 1017 declared
"a state of national emergency", three trumped-up cases of rebellion, which
has been made a non-bailable charge, were filed against 51 persons which
included the "Batasan 6" parliamentarians: Crispin Beltran who was
arbitrarily arrested and is now in the custody of the Philippine National
Police while confined in the Philippine Heart Center for hypertension; Liza
Maza of the Gabriela Women's Party; Satur Ocampo, Teddy Casino and Joel
Virador of Bayan Muna; and Rafael Mariano of Anakpawis who is also the
chairperson of KMP (Peasant Movement in the Philippines).
Leaders of the democratic movement in the Philippines are also among those
charged with rebellion: Tita Lubi, founding Vice-Chair of the Gabriela
Women's Party and a member of the Program & Management Committee of the
APWLD (Asia-Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development); Nathanael
Santiago, Secretary General of Bayan Muna; Vicente Ladlad also of Bayan Muna
and a member of the Board of Trustees of Selda, an organization of former
political prisoners; Rafael Baylosis of KMU (May 1st Movement) and Randal
Echanis of KMP, who are also with the Anakpawis partylist; and Rey Claro
Casambre, Executive Director of the Philippine Peace Center.
Implicated in the preposterous testimony of a military agent turned perjured
witness are Dr. Carol Araullo, chairperson of Bayan (New Patriotic
Alliance); Emmi de Jesus, Secretary General of GABRIELA; Rita Baua, Bayan's
International Relations Officer; Ruth Cervantes of Karapatan whose husband
is BM's Rep. Teddy Casino; Judge Romeo T. Capulong, UN Judge ad Litem who
heads the panel of lawyers for Batasan 6; Danilo Ramos, Secretary General of
KMP; Joel Maglungsod, Secretary General of KMU; and Renato Reyes, Secretary
General of Bayan. Included in a Mindanao list are Luz Ilagan, Chair of the
Gabriela Women's Party, and two young Moro women, Amirah Lidasan and Zainab
Ampatuan, from the Moro-Christian Peoples' Alliance and Suara Bangsa Moro
partylist.
We call on everyone defending human rights, upholding civil liberties and
working for fundamental changes in our society to continue to support the
women and men being persecuted by the illegitimate, corrupt, puppet and
fascist US-Arroyo regime. Let us call for a stop to the killings and
political persecution. Let us call for the ouster of the new dictator,
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. |
Malaysia:June 11, 2008, - Trial of Irene Fernandez, Director of Tenaganita postponed to August 5, 2008 at the High Court 5, Jalan Duta, Kuala Lumpur.
NEPAL :16 June 2008, WHRD Murdered 
UZBEKISTAN : WUZBEKISTAN: MS. MUTABAR TOJIBAEVA RELEASED ! 
Iran : Women's Rights Activists Get Suspended Lashing Sentences
Iranian : Women's Movement: More International Support, More Persecution at Home
IRAN: AUTHORITIES MUST SUPPORT, NOT SUPPRESS WOMEN HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS
Walk for Land
Center for Women's Global Leadership honors the hundreds of thousands of women activists around the world on Women Human Rights Defenders day.
Women's Action Forum Rights demands: immediate with drawal of the emergency, restitution of the constitution and full fundamental rights, the release of all those arrested and detained, and the removal of all curbs on the print and electronic media.
Colombia: Socio-political violence and internal armed conflict
29th November: Celebrate International Day on Women Human Rights Defenders!
25th of November: International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women
Making this goal a reality
Pakistan : Women Against Military Terrorism in Pakistan
Female Jouranlist Once Again Harassed in Nakhchivan
After 61 days of Hunger strike: Chief Juana Calfunao and her sister fight for life in a Chilean prison
The women's movement in Nepal demands total proportionate representation of women in the Constituent Assembly Election
CRITICAL Update : Appleal The Observatory
Bahraini Authorities Impose Media Blockade on Women Activist Ghada Jamsheer
In Memoriam: Atsuko Tanaka-Fox (1970-2007)
CRITICAL Update: Ugandan Government Directive to ARREST all Homosexuals
UGENT : Badi Women Human Rights Defenders Attacked and Detaine
Nepal : UPDATE: 18 new District WHRD Networks Formed
Pakistan :Transgender man faces additional lawsuits
Iran : Man arrested while campaigning for gender equality
Japan: Women's Fund for Peace and Human Rights is now calling for the Yayori Award nomination for 2007
Fiji: Monitoring Human Rights Abuses in Fiji in relation to the Coup
Philippines: Update on Political Killings in the Philippines
Philippines: Yet Another Killing
Philippines: Free Our Sisters, Free Ourselves!
Philippines: Another woman leader killed in Bataan
Philippines: Gabriela woman human rights defender slain
Philippines: Launching of Free Our Sisters! Free Ourselves!
Iran: Police Attack Women's Day Celebration
Zimbabwe: WOZA members and activists freed
Nepal:100 women-activists arrested during demonstration on the International Women's Day
Philippines: Another Central Luzon activist killed
Japan: Justice for the victim-survivors of the wartime sexual slavery
Philippines: Philippines Human Rights Defenders Under Attack
Pakistan: Pakistani Women's Rights Activist Mukhtar Mai silenced by the Pakistani authorities
Bahrain: Take action in support of Ghada Jamsheer and defenders of human and women's rights
India, Kashmir: over 9,000 women raped and molested, 22,000 women widowed and around 10,600 children orphaned in the Kashmir conflict
Nepal: The Undemocratic Amendments of the National Human Rights Commission Act and Media Laws
Pakistan: UN Special Representative Hina Jilani, among 50 human rights activists, arrested at the rally on violence against women
Northern Ireland: investigation is still awaited five years after the death of Rosemary Nelson
Uganda: V Day Campaign against Gender-based Violence
Women Human Rights Defenders workshop at Asia Pacific NGO Forum, July 2004
National Consultation on Women Human Rights Defenders in Thailand, August 2004
High Commissioner For Human Rights And Un Expert Call For Protection Of Women's Rights As Way To Curb Gender Violence
Declaration Of The Consultative Workshop On Women Human Rights Defenders In Africa Dakar, Senegal 18-19 November 2004 |
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