We
express our collective outrage over the killing of civilians in Maguindanao
including members of the National Union of Peoples Lawyers (NUPL) and the Union
of Peoples Lawyers in Mindanao (UPLM) Atty. Connie Brizuela and Atty. Cynthia
Oquendo. Human rights lawyers have
lost two strong advocates for human rights with the tragic death of our two
colleagues who were killed by warlords of impunity in Maguindanao for merely
practicing their legal profession.
Attacks against lawyers and judges are attacks on the administration of
justice as it threatens members of the legal profession from fulfilling their
duties with independence and competence.
With 15 judges and 26 lawyers killed since 2001, the Philippines has
indeed also become one of the worst places for attacks on members of the legal
profession.
We condemn the relentless killings
of activists, media persons and lawyers due to the culture of impunity spawned
by Pres. Gloria Arroyo who have exercised no restraint in going after
dissenters and opposition but have handled warlords such as the Ampatuan’s with
kid’s gloves. We ask for a collective outrage and action from the legal
profession in order to demand justice for the victims of the Maguindanao
massacre and extra judicial killings in general and stamp out impunity. NUPL will launch a nationwide call among judges,
lawyers and law students to hold protest rallies expressing this outrage and
wear black arm bands on December 1 especially during court proceedings as part of the important battle to
curb impunity.
We
thank the International Union of Peoples Lawyers (IAPL) based in Belgium which
issued a statement declaring that “this latest brazen attack on our brave
colleagues and their group of unarmed civilians is but a result and is
engendered by the culture of impunity that has pervaded the Philippine
political scene since President Gloria Arroyo came to power in 2001.”
We
are encouraged by the statement of the National Lawyers Guild of the United
States (NLG-USA) who declared in their statement that “The National Lawyers
Guild (NLG) demands real justice for the victims of the Maguindanao massacre
and other extra-judicial killings in the Philippines . The NLG
calls on the Arroyo government to cease words without action and tolerance of
the status quo that has bred this culture of impunity in the Philippines”
We join the Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development (APWLD )which issued a statement
calling for the implementation of “ all structural reforms recommended by the
Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions” as part
of the efforts to curb impunity.
We
thank the International Association of Democratic Lawyers (IADL) for their
expression of concern and outrage over the killing of lawyers and other
civilians and their demand for justice for the victims.
Demand for Collective Action
We
demand the immediate revocation of all firearm licenses issued to and confiscate
the firearms of all warlords in Maguindanao and arrest members of armed groups
carrying firearms in the province.
We
demand the immediate preventive suspension of
the provincial officials in
Maguindanao, including responsible commanding officers of the PNP and AFP in
Maguindanao not only to ensure that they do not influence the investigation but
also for abetting if not encouraging the free and illegal presence of armed
groups in the province. We demand the
immediate prosecution of the PNP and AFP commanding officers who have allowed,
if not conspired, with the perpetrators of the massacres to conduct this
horrible crime.
We
urge the creation of an independent and credible special court that will handle
the cases against the Ampatuans and those involved in the massacre considering
that judges of ordinary Regional Trial Courts may be threatened with violence
by those accused and may therefore not be able to provide a fair hearing of the
case.
We
urge the international community including the United Nations to send teams of
international election observers to monitor election fraud and violence in the
May 2010 elections.
We
urge the Filipino people, including members of the legal profession, to join in
all efforts to battle impunity in the country and demand the accountability of
all public officials who have committed crimes against the Filipino people.
Reference:
Rep. Neri Javier Colmenares
Secretary – General
Mobile no. 09178350459
National SecretariatNational Union of Peoples' Lawyers(NUPL)
3F Erythrina Bldg., Maaralin corner Matatag Sts. Central District,Quezon City, PhilippinesTel.No.920-6660,Telefax No. 927- 2812
Email addresses:nupl2007@gmail.com and nuplphilippines@yahoo.com
"Visit the NUPL at http://www.nupl.net/
By
calling yourselves the 'people's lawyer,' you have made a remarkable
choice. You decided not to remain in the sidelines. Where human rights
are assaulted, you have chosen to sacrifice the comfort of the fence
for the dangers of the battlefield. But only those who choose to fight
on the battlefield live beyond irrelevance." Supreme Court Chief
Justice Reynato S. Puno, in his message to the NUPL Founding
Congress,Sept. 15, 2007
