Political prisoners conduct symbolic fast for freedom, Kin and supporters hold sympathy fast and picket, Sept. 13, 2011

Political prisoners conduct symbolic fast for freedom,

Kin and supporters hold sympathy fast and picket

Camp Crame, QC

September 13, 2011

Photos courtesy of KARAPATAN


x NEWS RELEASE September 13, 2011 Reference: Angie Ipong, SELDA (0949-9587373) In time for commemoration of Martial Law POLITICAL PRISONERS CONDUCT SYMBOLIC FAST FOR FREEDOM; KIN AND SUPPORTERS HOLD SYMPATHY FAST AND PICKET In time for the commemoration of Martial Law, political prisoners in various detention centers nationwide today started their coordinated actions to call for their immediate release through general, unconditional and omnibus amnesty for all political prisoners, while sympathy fasting and picket were conducted by families, friends and supporters of political prisoners at the gate of Camp Crame in Quezon City. Angie Ipong, Secretary General of the Samahan ng Ex-detainees laban sa Detensyon at Aresto said political prisoners detained at the Philippine National Police Custodial Center in Camp Crame, New Bilibid Prisons, Camp Bagong Diwa, Correctional Institution for Women, Iloilo Integrated Provincial Jail, Bohol District Jail, Danao City Jail in Cebu, Samar Sub-Provincial Jail in Calbayog, Samar, and Misamis Occidental Reformatory Jail in Oroquieta are conducting their coordinated symbolic fast starting September 13 up to September 21, 2011. “Among the notorious legacies of the Marcos dictatorship were the illegal arrest and detention of political prisoners who fought against the corrupt and repressive regime. Such reality exists to this day, with 360 political prisoners (according to Karapatan, as of August 30, 2011) languishing in jails for fabricated and trumped-up charges against because of the exercise of their political beliefs that run counter to those of the powers running our government. In fact, there are already 77 political prisoners illegally arrested and are currently detained under the Aquino administration. Pres. Aquino should look at the mirror of history twice when he likens activist organizations to a dictatorship. His administration is actually carrying on the more vivid legacy of a dictatorship with such rights violations under his term,” commented Ipong. The woman leader also said “that Aquino shows no compassion toward political prisoners and their families by keeping them locked up in jails and by not pursuing their immediate release.” “We cannot fathom how the President understood the plight of his father, a former political prisoner during the Marcos dictatorship, when his administration is committing the same crimes of fascist predecessor governments. In enforcing the counter-insurgency program Oplan Bayanihan, it has unleashed the blueprint for the various human rights violations on the ground, with the strong support of the US government, the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the PNP, and agencies such as the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD),” she added. SELDA reiterated the call for the immediate release of all political prisoners, especially the elderly and sickly ones and women political prisoners. According to Karapatan, there are eleven elderly prisoners, twenty eight sickly ones, and thirty women political prisoners. Ipong cited the cases of Rolando Pañamogan, detained at the National Bilibid Prisons, who is suffering from diabetes, deep toxic goiter and congestive heart failure, and has recently been confined at the NBP hospital due to lowered blood pressure, a complication of his diabetes, where facilities and attending medical personnel are scarce; Ernesto Dumlao, detained at the Quezon City Jail, has asthma and has been sleeping on the floor of the Quezon City Jail because he cannot pay for a “tarima” (cot) that costs P3,000; and Antonino Roda, detained at the Misamis Occidental Provincial Reformatory Jail, with severe kidney infection, urinating with blood several times already. “A general, unconditional and omnibus amnesty for them is but a just step toward rectifying the injustices and rights violations against them,” she concluded. -- The Samahan ng Ex-Detainees Laban sa Detensyon at Aresto (SELDA) is an organization of former political prisoners in the Philippines. Founded on December 4, 1984, SELDA was initiated by newly-released political prisoners of the martial law period. SELDA’s primary task is to work for the release of all political prisoners and to see to it that humane treatment of those who are still in detention are complied with by the Philippine authorities. SELDA advocates justice for current and former political prisoners. It calls for the mobilisation of resources in support of political prisoners, former detainees and their families. It carries out legislative advocacy for the indemnification and rehabilitation of political prisoners. SELDA goes into partnership and builds solidarity with concerned individuals and groups for the freedom and welfare of political prisoners and all victims of tyranny. SELDA National Office: 2/F, Erythrina Bldg., #1 Maaralin corner Matatag Streets, Brgy. Central District, Diliman, Quezon City 1101, Philippines Tel: 632-4342837 Fax: 632-4354146 Email: selda.phils@gmail.com, selda_phil@yahoo.com.ph Web: www.seldapilipinas.wordpress.com









			x KARAPATAN TO GPH: Stand by your commitment to release political prisoners Posted on August 5, 2011 ’’The release of political prisoners is not a pre-condition set by the NDFP for the continuation of the peace talks; it is a commitment by the GPH made last February in Oslo,” said Marie Hilao-Enriquez, Karapatan chairperson and an independent observer to the peace talks between the GPH and the NDFP. Hilao-Enriquez is referring to the GPH and NDF Oslo Joint Statement of February 21, 2011 where the GPH committed “undertake steps for the release of prisoners and detainees, including those committed to be released as found in the Second Oslo Joint Statement of 2004.” The peace talks between the GPH and the NDFP formally opened last February in Oslo, Norway. It was the first round of talks under the P-Noy administration. The panel-to-panel talks was scheduled to resume last June but was postponed due to the delay in the release of political prisoners as promised by the GPH. Earlier, KARAPATAN called for the release of some 354 political detainees, 17 of whom are NDFP consultants to the peace negotiations. All 17 are protected by the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG), an agreement signed between the GPH and the NDFP way back in 1995. The February 2011 Oslo Joint Statement also states that the GPH shall “continue to work on appropriate measures to effect the expeditious release of all or most of the fourteen (14) NDFP listed JASIG consultants and personalities before the second round of formal talks, subject to verification as provided in the JASIG Supplemental Agreement dated June 26, 1996, or on the basis of humanitarian and other practical reasons.” According to Hilao-Enriquez, “the release of the political prisoners is well within the purview of the GPH. If he wills, the President could release the political prisoners by granting a general, unconditional and omnibus (GUO) amnesty to all. The GUO amnesty could very well be the expeditious way the GPH is looking for to effect the release of all political prisoners.” Press Release: August 5, 2011 References: Angge Santos, Public Information Officer, +639189790580 Marie Hilao-Enriquez, Chairperson, +639175616800








=

==


x IF PNOY IS FOR HUMAN RIGHTS, HE MUST STOP POLITICAL PERSECUTION AND FREE ALL POLITICAL PRISONERS! - Karapatan Today, September 13, former political prisoners, relatives and friends of political prisoners as well as members of human rights organizations hold a sympathy fast in front of Camp Crame, the headquarters of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the PNP Custodial Center where several of the political prisoners are detained, to reiterate their call to the national government to free all the political prisoners all over the country. Taking off from PNoy’s “marching orders” to the new PNP chief not to let bosses down, Karapatan expressed frustration over the government’s inaction to release political prisoners who are unjustly detained because of fabricated charges. “We don’t understand what the government is waiting for when clearly all the political prisoners especially the sick, the elderly, the women and those covered by the JASIG should have been released earlier. The political prisoners are falsely accused of crimes they have not committed, contrary to PNoy’s continued mantra that his government is for human rights,” said Marie Hilao-Enriquez, Karapatan chairperson. Karapatan bewails the fact that political prisoners who are incarcerated because of their political beliefs are falsely charged with common crimes to hide the government’s political persecution of those it labels as “enemies of the state.” This is a very clear violation of the political prisoners’ rights and to correct this transgression, it would do well for the government to release them. Among the Karapatan list of political prisoners are innocent civilians in Moro/Muslim areas, who were arrested, detained and tortured in the conduct of the government’s so-called anti-terrorism campaign. They are invariably presented to the public as members or supporters of what are labeled as terrorist organizations such as the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) and Jemaiah Islamiah (JI). Many are intentional victims of mistaken identity, fake ransom claims and have been made as sacrificial lambs in exchange for more "anti-terrorist" U.S. aid. Today, Karapatan joins members of SELDA and the families of political prisoners in holding a sympathy fast to call on the PNoy government to release the 360 political prisoners (as of 30 August 2011). The sympathy fast coincides with various jail protest activities from September 13 to 21, the commemoration of the declaration of Martial Law. The fasting of political prisoners and their supporters from September 13-21 is the second for this year. The first was held in July in time for the President’s second SONA. “Political prisoners and people’s organizations nationwide have carried out a series of actions starting this year to call for a general, unconditional and omnibus amnesty but PNoy remains deaf,” said Hilao-Enriquez. “More than one year is too long a wait for those who were wronged and for those who seek justice. He should know this; he and his family were victims of political persecution during martial law.” Karapatan stressed that the President is capable of releasing political prisoners as he did when he released the members of Magdalo who rebelled against Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. All he has to have is the political will to release those who are wrongly imprisoned. --------------------------------------------------------------------- PUBLIC INFORMATION DESK publicinfo@karapatan.org --------------------------------------------------------------------- Alliance for the Advancement of People's Rights 2nd Flr. Erythrina Bldg., #1 Maaralin corner Matatag Sts., Central District Diliman, Quezon City, PHILIPPINES 1101 Telefax: (+63 2) 4354146 Web: http://www.karapatan.org KARAPATAN is an alliance of human rights organizations and programs, human rights desks and committees of people’s organizations, and individual advocates committed to the defense and promotion of people’s rights and civil liberties. It monitors and documents cases of human rights violations, assists and defends victims and conducts education, training and campaign.









**

Home

► Send us your feedback ◄