FROM DEFENDERS TO VICTIMS: The Plight of Human Rights Defenders in the Philippines Amidst Continuing Impunity
“We leave unmolested those who set fire to the house, and prosecute those who sound the alarm”, It is an apt description to the attacks against human rights defenders in the Philippines.
The government of former President Arroyo has gone from denial to outright gun threat against the messengers exposing systematic extrajudicial killings, disappearances, torture and other horrible violations of human rights committed against activists, farmers, workers and members of people’s and mass organizations. This has been the case since we brought these issues out to the attention of the national and international community.
Read MoreInternational Notice for Fugitive Gen. Palparan
“Defending human rights defenders is imperative as it ultimately meant defending the victims themselves and upholding human rights,” Atty. Olalia said.
Atty. Olalia said that ending the spate of killings, disappearances and other rights violations rests on the perseverance and struggle of the people’s movement, of which people’s lawyers and human rights workers are part of, and the solidarity of all peoples against tyranny.
“Human rights defenders may continue to face the perils in their line of work but it will never be enough to water down their passion in working for the causes that they believe in. Their idea is to sow terror and make us cow in fear. This we shall never allow,” Atty. Olalia quoted from the paper.
Read MoreNUPL on Palparan’s statement that charges were illegally filed
On the statement made by Ret. Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan through lawyer Atty. Jesus Santos – whose authority to represent the retired general is suspect – that the filing of the cases against him was done illegally, the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL), private prosecutor of the Cadapan and Empeno families, through its Secretary General Atty. Edre Olalia said: “General Palparan has the gall and temerity to claim that the charges against him were done illegally. That is farthest from the truth. He is turning things upside down…
Read MoreSTATEMENT OF SOLIDARITY WITH NUPL ACTION AGAINST MAJ. GEN. JOVITO PALPARAN
Statement of the Haldane Society of Socialist Lawyers The Haldane Society supports the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers’ actions against Maj Gen Jovito Palparan. The arrest warrant against Gen. Palparan and three other military personnel was issued by the Malolos Regional Trial Court on December 19, 2011. After a month-long manhunt by government law enforcement [...]
Read MoreBelgian Lawyers Statement regarding Political Prisoners in the Philippines, Former President Arroyo and Ret. Maj. Gen. Palparan
Progress lawyers network of Belgium urges the Philippine government to release all political prisoners and to institute criminal and administrative cases against major human rights violators life former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and fugitive retired General Jovito Palparan.
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