NUPL Visayas condemns attacks on human rights defenders in Negros



Duterte’s call for an all out war against the Left once again sheds the blood of the innocent.

At about 2:30 pm, November 28, 2017,. Emelisa Badayos of Karapatan Central Visayas, Elioterio Moises of the Mantapi Ebwan Farmers Association and a 23 year old Kabataan Partylist Member were gunned down in San Ramon, Bayawan, Negros Oriental.

Badayos and Moises were killed while the other individual was rushed to the hospital.

The victims were members of cause oriented and human rights organizations embarking on a fact-finding mission to verify reports of rampant human rights abuses in Negros due to intensified military operations in the island, including the assassination of almost a dozen individuals in Negros Oriental, particularly in Guihulngan City since July 2017. 

The human rights abuses that they sought to investigate were believed to be carried out by military and police personnel ostensibly in retaliation to an ambush allegedly perpetrated by the NPA.  This strategy of retaliation mostly targeting leaders and members of cause-oriented groups has become the Duterte government's standard operating procedure in response to combat losses. Such strategy of venting their rage on civilians is employed not only in Guihulngan, Negros Oriental but also in other parts of the Philippines like specifically in Sorsogon and Surigao.

The victims’ search for the truth cost them their lives. Their assailants also believed to be from the military were trying to prevent them from proceeding with their mission.

Pres. Rodrigo R. Duterte’s trash talk of attacking legal organizations for “conspiring with the NPA”, is de facto giving the cue to his armed minions in the field to start the hunting season for activists and human rights defenders.

While we grieve for all victims of human rights violations, we also hold the Duterte administration and its blood thirsty agents responsible for these murders. We demand justice. We demand accountability and we demand a stop to these killings!

 -NATIONAL UNION OF PEOPLES' LAWYERS - VISAYAS 


Reference

Atty. Ian Anthony Sapayan
NUPL-Visayas

 Atty. Rene Estocapio
NUPL-Panay

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