Amnesty International public statement....

Amnesty International recently came up with a statement reasserting the need to respect human rights in the Philippines.

Here's a brief excerpt:



The recent alleged coup attempt prompted the arrest or threatened arrest of left and right-wing politicians, military officers and others accused of “rebellion” or involvement in the reported coup conspiracy. Amnesty International is concerned that this may lead to arbitrary detentions and an erosion of the right of every suspect to due process and a fair trial.

In particular AI remains concerned about the application of the charge of “rebellion”, designated as a “continuing crime” under Philippines jurisprudence and therefore allowing for arrests without warrants issued by the courts. Such provisions entail a danger of misuse in politically-motivated detentions. Summary inquest procedures which follow warrantless arrests could lead to prolonged periods of custody before the basis of allegations put forward by the police can be fully and independently scrutinised by the courts.

Amnesty International is also concerned about apparently political motives behind recent selective arrests and launch of criminal proceedings. Although the recent alleged coup conspiracy reportedly involved persons from across the political spectrum, there are reports that the political Left in particular may have been targeted for a repeated series of arrests on a variety of spurious charges.



Read the full statement here.

It is saddening to realize that human rights violations, some even under the guise of legality have become so rampant here in the Philippines that international organizations are starting to take notice.

The attempts to control the media, the warrantless arrests, the forcible taking into custody of individuals under the pretext of being merely "invited for questioning", the ongoing witchhunt among the armed forces in search of those sympathetic to anti-Arroyo groups are testament to this fact.

This decline in the respect for fundamental human rights can only be attributed to an administration bent on preserving its existence through whatever means possible.

This should be nipped in the bud before its too late.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Pres. Arroyo seem to want to emulate Lee Kuan Yew just like Marcos.Hell, even Thaksin wants to be like him...
March 10, 2006 2:04 PM
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