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Leftists optimistic, UN human rights
body will reprimand Arroyo after Alston report
Pamalakaya, Anakpawis eye dismembership of RP in UN HR body

Leftwing activists on Friday said they are optimistic the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) will immediately reprimand the Macapagal-Arroyo administration on the issue of extra-judicial killings after Special Rapporteur Philip Alston had submitted his six-page report condemning the executive and the military branch of the government on the political killings of moiré than 800 activists and journalists across the country.

In a joint press statement, the left-leaning fisherfolk alliance Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) and the militant party list group Anakpawis said the international human rights body is expected to deliver a scathing and electrifying statement condemning the Arroyo administration and the Armed Forces of the Philippines over the extra-judicial killings allegedly perpetrated by the military since 2001 up to present.

“The international human rights community has approved the report of Alston. It is now expecting the UN human rights body to perform its duty in accordance with the global people’s interest for truth and justice,” said Pamalakaya national chair Fernando Hicap.

Hicap, who is also a nominee of Anakpawis in the party list election this May 2007 elections, said the UNHRC cannot snub or take for granted the Alston report, which was a product of honest-to-goodness and objective investigation.

“The findings of Alston merit the UNHRC condemnation and in concrete terms, the dismembership of the Philippine government from the UN human rights body for its’ crimes against humanity,” the Anakpawis nominee added.

The militant leader said aside from President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the UNHRC should also castigate National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales, Armed Forces Chief of Staff Hermogenes Esperon Jr., Defense secretary Eduardo Ermita, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita and retired Army Major General Jovito Palparan.

“Their names should be posted in the news bulletin of the UNHRC as top violators of human rights and civil liberties in the Philippines and the principal authors of extra-judicial killings in the country,” Hicap added.

Anakpawis and Pamalakaya said they would write the UNHRC and will ask the Geneva-based human rights body to seriously consider the expulsion of the Philippine government as member of the UN human rights body.

Alston on Tuesday, submitted an initial six-page report to the fourth session of the UNHRC in Geneva, which started last March 12 and would officially end on March 30. In his report, the UN special rapporteur slammed the executive branch and the military for their failure to address the killings.

The UN special rapporteur initial report also brought the issue of “ orders of battle” which allegedly sued by the military and police to harm activists. Alston cited a thick document ,which was supposedly classified based on intelligence reports, members of organizations considered illegitimate by the military. Alston said most of those killed are listed in the orders of battle list by the military.

The Alston report submitted to UNHRC Fourth Session also told the Arroyo administration to direct all military officers to cease making public statements linking political and other civil society groups to those engaged in armed insurgencies.

posted by: GerryCorpuz at 01:00 | link | comments |

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