The International Association of Democratic Lawyers (IADL) supports the case filed with the International Criminal Court (ICC) against President Rodrigo Duterte and the UN Human Rights Council resolution seeking to investigate the human rights situation in the Philippines. It vowed to support the filing of other suits against Duterte “for violations of international human rights law.”
“Both our collective moral sense and the international convention on human rights recognize the right to life as an inherent right of every human being that no one shall be arbitrarily deprived thereof.”
“To continue the judicial proceedings inside a police fortress under very hostile conditions and atmosphere, and beyond open scrutiny is inconsistent with the minimum requirements of due process.”
“The Pope is here. Mercy and compassion, not cruelty and hypocrisy should infect us all, especially the high and mighty.”
On top of Kapunan being out on bail, and only two of the accused in custody, “some of the perpetrators of the beastly torture and cold-blooded murders are still at large, and some of the widely-perceived masterminds are even also implicated in other past shenanigans and present anomalies including the Pork Barrel scam.” – Edre Olalia, National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers
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Asked why the Aquino government does not want to ratify the law, human rights lawyer Edre Olalia said that probably one of the reasons why the government is hesitant to ratify the convention is that once it does, it would be incumbent upon it to allow visits of special rapporteurs in the country.
By JULIUS D. MARIVELES
“It seems that they [the military] do not know the difference between a placard, a microphone and an M-16 rifle.” – Christian Tuayon, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan-Negros
By MARYA SALAMAT
“The Army’s non-compliance with a categorical and unqualified order of the Court is not unexpected. They have done this before over and over again.” – private prosecutor
By MARYA SALAMAT Bulatlat.com MANILA –The unprecedented impeachment of Chief Justice Renato Corona came as no surprise to some progressive peoples’ organizations. Citing how the Aquino government has used “all its powers to achieve this end” – railroading for example the approval in Congress of the impeachment complaint and deploying the Anti-Money Laundering Council to…
By INA ALLECO R. SILVERIO Bulatlat.com MANILA – The family and lawyers of detained cultural worker, poet and freelance journalist Ericson Acosta filed a petition for review at the Department of Justice (DOJ) in Manila on September 1. Acosta’s counsels led by Julian Oliva, Jr., Edre Olalia, and Ephraim Cortez of the National Union of…
By RONALYN V. OLEA Bulatlat.com MANILA – One of the security escorts of retired Gen. Jovito Palparan Jr. denied any involvement in the abduction of University of the Philippines (UP) students Karen Empeño and Sherlyn Cadapan and farmer Manuel Merino. In his counter-affidavit submitted to the Department of Justice (DOJ) panel, August 31, Staff Sgt.…