THE UNABATED killing of leftist activists constitutes a pattern
of political executions that should be a source of “deep
embarrassment” to the Philippine government, according to Amnesty
International (AI).
In a 51-page report released yesterday, the London-based human
rights group said the threat of more such murders had intensified
this year along with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s declaration
of a state of emergency in February, the arrest and threatened
arrest of militant party-list lawmakers, and the administration’s
all-out war against communist insurgents.
The group raised concerns about “credible reports” that security
forces were involved in the killings, or at least tolerated or had
knowledge of them.
AI documented a steep increase in the incidence of extrajudicial
killings this year, recording 51 cases in the first semester. It
pointed out there were 66 such killings in the entire 2005.
“No one deserves to die for their political affiliation. It
should be a deep embarrassment to the government that people in the
Philippines cannot freely exercise their rights of political
expression and association,” said AI’s Southeast Asia researcher Tim
Parritt.
In its report that included case studies of the killings and of
warrantless arrests, AI listed these key recommendations:
Reassertion of respect for human rights; guarantee of the
administration of justice; compliance with the human rights
agreement in the peace process, and action by other human rights
institutions.
UN mechanisms
AI called on the Philippine government to seek the expertise of
the United Nations’ “relevant special mechanisms” by inviting the
Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial Executions, the Special
Representative on Human Rights Defenders and representatives of the
Working Group on Arbitrary Detention to visit the Philippines.
It also called for an independent oversight body that would
ensure that all investigations of political killings -- including
those by the Philippine National Police’s Task Force Usig -- were
backed by effective coordination between the PNP, National Bureau of
Investigation, Department of Justice and Department of National
Defense.
Asked yesterday to comment, Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said:
“Let us be very clear: These killings are appalling and the
President condemns them in the strongest possible terms. She has
taken a number of actions. She has offered rewards, brought in the
police and directed the [DoJ] to stop at nothing in bringing the
perpetrators to justice. She is determined to bring these breaches
under control and to mete out the harshest punishments to the
offenders.”
Culture of impunity
In her State of the Nation Address last month, the President said
she was condemning the political killings. But she also heaped
lavish praise on Major General Jovito Palparan, who has been tagged
the “butcher” of leftist activists for the cases of extrajudicial
killings and rights abuses in areas where he has been posted.
“The common features in the methodology of the attacks, the
leftist profile of the victims and an apparent culture of impunity
shielding the perpetrators has led AI to believe that the killings
are not an unconnected series of criminal murders, armed robberies
or other unlawful killings,” the group said.
“Rather, they constitute a pattern of politically targeted
extrajudicial executions taking place within the broader context of
a continuing counterinsurgency campaign,” it said.
It cited motorcycle-riding death squads preying on leftist
activists as well as cases of militant politicians and activists
being labeled as communist cadres.
AI called for a renewed commitment from both the government and
the Communist Party of the Philippines to respect human rights,
noting that the New People’s Army, the armed wing of the CPP, had
announced the formation of “retaliatory hit squads” against
government forces.
“With the political will necessary to revive peace negotiations
currently appearing absent, [AI] believes it essential that all
sides urgently reassert respect for human rights in order to prevent
the serious threat of a renewed spiral of human rights abuses,” the
group said.
‘Official acquiescence’
AI said there was “an increased risk that those responsible for
the killings would believe that they had received a signal of
official acquiescence for these abuses.”
It cited “repeated credible reports that members of the security
forces have been directly involved in the attacks, or else have
tolerated, acquiesced to, or been complicit in them.”
It said that as early as 2003, the UN Human Rights Committee
called for government action on “the lack of appropriate measures to
investigate crimes allegedly committed by state security forces and
agents and to prosecute and punish these perpetrators.”
AI called on the Deputy Ombudsman for the military and other law
enforcement offices to conduct “prompt, thorough, impartial and
effective” inquiries into all complaints of political killings
purportedly involving military, police or other security
personnel.
It said these inquiries should, as appropriate, lead promptly to
recommendations to the DoJ to file criminal charges against those
found responsible.
“Stemming this tide of killings requires genuine political will
to ensure prosecution in all cases -- not only the 10 cases in 10
weeks recently called for by President Arroyo,” Parritt said.
‘Primary target’ of gov’t
AI said that in February, Ms Arroyo declared a state of emergency
on the basis of a purported plot to overthrow her administration by
members of the mainstream opposition in “tactical alliance” with
rightists, communist rebels, progressive leftist groups and current
and former military personnel.
“However, the primary target of government action appeared to be
the CPP-NPA and the progressive leftist parties, which were now
explicitly accused by senior government officials of being front
organizations for illegal communist armed groups,” AI said.
It said that on Feb. 26, police lodged a “rebellion” complaint
with government prosecutors against some 50 prominent figures from
across the spectrum of the Left, including communist leaders in
exile and leaders of militant party-list groups.
“In a serious blow to prospects for reviving confidence in the
peace process, the list of those accused of rebellion was
substantially composed of persons previously listed in the Joint
Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees, and the addresses of
most of the suspects was cited as the Secretariat of the Joint
Monitoring Committee of the [Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for
Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law],” AI said.
The group said that over the subsequent months it appeared
“increasingly clear” that the government had decided to abandon its
peace talks with the National Democratic Front, the CPP’s political
wing. With a report from Gil C. Cabacungan
Jr. | 
