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“The problem is that the framework of this task force [to end communist insurgency] provides no distinction between combatants and non-combatants, or activists belonging to organizations categorized as legal fronts [of the Communist Party of the Philippines].”
Many used sarcasm and wit to what they find as ridiculous claim of Reano.
In a statement, the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL) called this proposal as an “excavation of a jurassic idea which has the effect of curtailing freedom of association and political beliefs which are in fact crucial ingredients for democracy to flourish.”
"State forces in Mindanao are intensifying attacks against civilians in Northern Mindanao as Martial Law continues to be in place in the whole island."
According to the report, Lacay, with his companion Renard Burgos, was riding a motorcycle on their way to the public market when two uniformed soldiers hailed them and asked for a ride. That was when the soldiers allegedly fired at the victim.
“They would call us, three or four at a time, sometimes to the barangay hall, sometimes to the municipal hall. The interrogations would start from 10 a.m. and end 10 p.m., no breaks."
At least 40 lawyers have been killed under President Duterte alone according to the NUPL.
For weeks before the shooting, elements of the 54th IB frequented Lee's residence as well as the offices of IPM and Justice and Peace Advocates of Ifugao, of which Lee is also a member.
“The number of violent attacks against Christian human rights defender has alarmingly increased in the three years of President Rodrigo Duterte’s government. We hold him responsible for the escalating hostile acts being committed against all human rights defenders from civil society and people’s organizations and the church community.”
“The series of attacks threaten to undermine the country’s peace and order situation, the State’s failure to identify and punish the perpetrators further breeds a culture of impunity and violence."
“I am from Mindanao, the first island where Martial Law was implemented. All the killings that is happening in Negros right now, also happened in Mindanao last 2017."
“Anyone who affords legal remedies such as writs of amparo and habeas data will now be subjected to reprisals like this. We deem the accusations by NSA Esperon (not only) as baseless and malicious but also a serious attack on the basic right to access legal mechanisms.”
“We maintain that our petition is urgent amid the spate of intensified red-tagging, illegal arrests, and killings perpetrated against us by this government.”
"How many more lawyers and human rights defenders need to be killed, vilified, harassed, threatened and labelled before the dots are connected?"
The CPP and NPA demanded the Duterte regime to abide by the Geneva Conventions and other international protocols and called on all of Duterte's forces to stop targeting and killing civilians.
“Those who were killed are persons; they are not just numbers or statistics! We fervently pray that we may not continue counting dead bodies; that every one of us will continue protecting human lives.”
Progressives said these killings were carried out under Memorandum 32, where more military forces were deployed in three provinces, including Negros.
“It exposes that ‘hit lists’ often translate to killings.”
“His marching orders to pass the death penalty measures, on top of his bloody drug war and counterinsurgency speak of his ineffective and blatantly anti-people kill-kill-kill solution and policy framework."
“Even after they argued that the warrant was outdated and showed the dismissal order, they were taken to Camp Caringal where the Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit and the District Special Operations Unit desperately scrambled to add charges."
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