Articles tagged with: ampatuan massacre
MANILA — On the seventh month of the Ampatuan massacre, New York-based Human Rights Watch called on the Philippine National Bureau of Investigation to immediately investigate the latest killing of a witness.
The massacre in November 2009 killed at least 58 people, mostly journalists, in Maguindanao province, Mindanao.
Suwaib Upham, a witness to the Maguindanao killings known publicly as “Jesse,” was …
New York, December 17, 2009�At least 68 journalists worldwide were killed for their work in 2009, the highest yearly tally ever documented by the Committee to Protect Journalists, the organization said in its year-end analysis. The record toll was driven in large part by the election-related slaughter of more than 30 media workers in the Philippine province of Maguindanao, the …
MANILA — “Consciously put in place protections for human rights during martial law in Maguindanao,” the independent Commission on Human Rights urged the government including the military during International Human Rights Day (10 December).
The Commission en banc made this call immediately after the session of Congress that considered the imposition of martial law in Maguindanao late 9 December. …
“In spite of the scale of efforts to directly or indirectly curb corruption, we come face to face with the realization that the breadth of the problem is not only significantly larger than the efforts against it, but corrupt practice has enjoyed a longevity and permanent entrenchment that requires nothing short of a society-wide transformation.”
The fundamental principles of legality and due process have been abandoned, with security forces having unprecedented powers given by the head of state under this martial law.
The declaration of a state of Martial Law in Maguindanao sets a most dangerous precedent for the nation. Not since September 21, 1972 has there been any declaration of Martial Law, not even during the years of tumult under the Aquino, Estrada and, prior to this, the Arroyo regime. For the first time since 1972, the writ of habeas corpus has been suspended in an area in the Philippines.
The NUPLs Committee for the Protection and Welfare of Lawyers said that the death of Attys. Brizuela and Oquendo brings the total number of lawyers and judges killed to 24 and 15, respectively, since President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo assumed power in 2001.
The brutal killing of 57 people in Maguindanao, including some 30 journalists, should be seen as a watershed moment for the Philippines, according to two United Nations human rights experts.
Commission on Human Rights: “Now that the people have done their part, it is our turn to do ours. It is the government’s turn to vindicate our people’s faith in our institutions, in our Constitution and laws.”