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UPDATE (Philippines): Church leader still faces intimidations after attempted murder

November 29, 2006

UPDATE ON URGENT APPEAL UPDATE ON URGENT APPEAL UPDATE ON URGENT APPEAL

ASIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION- URGENT APPEALS PROGRAMME

Update on Urgent Appeal

29 November 2006

[RE: UA-369-2006: PHILIPPINES: Another activist on “liquidation list” killed; two others survive attempts on their lives in separate incidents]
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UP-214-2006: PHILIPPINES: Church leader still faces intimidations after attempted murder

PHILIPPINES: violence against activist; impartial and independent investigation; collapse of rule of law
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PETITION - PETITION - PETITION - PETITION
STOP EXTRA-JUDICIAL KILLINGS IN THE PHILIPPINES
http://www.pinoyhr.net/

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Dear friends,

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) regrets to inform you that a church leader in Ilocos Sur was again intimidated by unidentified men on 11 November 2006, while he was hospitalized to receive treatment for his injuries in an attempted murder on November 9. He was shot by two men riding on a motorcycle in Vigan City, Ilocos Sur. (Please read our previous appeal UA-369-2006)

We also wish to make a correction in that that Rev. Lito Apalet, another victim in our previous appeal, was not involved in this case as previously mentioned.

According to information received from a local human rights group, Ilocos Human Rights Advocates (IHRA), two unknown men, on separate occasions, went to the hospital and looked for Rev. Billy Austin, the victim and the head of the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan or New Patriotic Alliance) in Ilocos Sur. They refused to identify themselves to the nurses. Rev. Austin's visitors were also followed by unknown men riding on motorcycles. The harassments to him and his family persist, and his life is still at risk.

The AHRC also received from IHRA about further details of the life attempt on Rev. Austin on November 9. On that day, Rev. Austin was attending a human rights training programme at the United Methodist Church which he belongs to. He left there with his group members around nine at night and walked to the nearby BAYAN office, he noticed that there were a motorcycle and a van tailing them.

As Rev. Austin and his group walked along Del Pilar Street, a blue motorcycle, similar to a XRM, was heading in their direction. Two men were on board and the man behind the driver raised his gun and started shooting at them. Rev. Austin suffered two gunshots, one on each leg. He was sent to a nearby hospital and reported the case to the local police.

Rev. Austin is the latest victim in the attacks targeted at church workers. On August 3, Pastor Isaias Sta. Rosa, a member-consultant of the United Methodist Church (UMC), was killed by armed men believed to be from the military in Daraga, Albay (Please refer to our previous appeal: UA-274-2006). On October 3, Bishop Ramento, a member of the Philippines Independent Church (PIC) and a prominent human rights defender, was brutally murdered in his parish in Talac City (Please refer to: UA-331-2006). Shortly after that, on October 8, another PIC priest, Fr. Dionisio Ging-Ging was murdered in Barangay Bajao, Tago, Surigao del Sur (Please refer to: UA-337-2006). None of these cases have been effectively resolved so far.

We are also aware that in past cases, no protection was given to victims who received deaths threats or attacks, which ends in tragic deaths. For example, For example, an activist Victor Olayvar was shot dead on 7 September 2006 by gunmen riding on a motorcycle in Danao after he had been reportedly receiving threats to his life. Even though his group immediately informed the local officials about the death threats prior to his death, the local authorities did not take any initiatives to protect him (See further: UA-300-2006). We urge the government to take prompt action to protect Rev. Austin and his family, to prevent such tragic deaths happening again.

SUGGESTED ACTION:
Please write to the following authorities, requesting them to conduct an impartial and thorough investigation into Rev. Billy Austin's case. Appropriate protection must also be given to Rev. Austin, his family and the witnesses of the case. Please also urge the Philippine government to take prompt actions to stop the extra-judicial killings and attacks targeting at church workers. 

To support this appeal, please click:
 
Dear _________,

PHILIPPINES: Church leader still faces intimidations after attempt murder

Name of victim: Rev. Billy Austin, a head of the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan or New Patriotic Alliance) in Ilocos Sur province as well as member of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP)
Alleged perpetrators: Two unidentified armed men
Place of incident: Lahoz Clinic & Hospital in Vigan City, Ilocos Sur
Date of incident:  First life attempt on 9 November 2006; second attempt of intimidation on 11 November 2006

I am extremely concerned about the situation of Rev. Billy Austin, a church worker who was intimidated by unidentified men on 11 November 2006, when he was hospitalized for the injuries he suffered in an attempt murder on November 9.

According to the information I received, while Rev. Austin was at the hospital, two unknown men tried to approach him without identifying themselves to the nurses. His visitors also complained that they were followed by unknown men riding on motorcycles. Rev. Austin was shot by motorcycle riders while he was attending a human rights training programme in Vigan City on November 9. He suffered two gunshots, one on each leg. It is shocking that the authority failed to protect him and his family even after the attack took place. 

Rev. Austin is the not the first church worker that has been targeted in the attacks. The violence against church people and the government's inability to protect is unacceptable. I urge you to ensure their security and protection without any delay. An effective and independent investigation must be conducted to identify and prosecute the attackers.

I urge you to exhaust all means of investigation to identify the attackers of Rev. Austin. Protection should be given to him and his family. I also urge you to take measures to protect Rev. Austin's family and visitors from any harassment. 

I am gravely concerned that in past cases, no protection was given to victims who received deaths threats or attacks, which finally caused tragedies. For example, an activist Victor Olayvar was shot dead on 7 September 2006 by gunmen riding on a motorcycle in Danao after he had been reportedly receiving threats to his life. Even though his group immediately informed the local officials about the death threats prior to his death, the local authorities did not take any initiatives to protect him. In this context, I am worried that Rev. Austin will become another victim of the ongoing extrajudicial killings without any protection from the Philippine government. Therefore, I urge you to take prompt action to protect Rev. Austin and his family to stop such tragic deaths happening again.

I also urge the Philippine government to strictly enforce the Witness Protection, Security and Benefit Act (RA 6981), so that the victims and witnesses can come forward to give their statements before court or other relevant investigating bodies without fear.

Lastly, I urge you to use your official capacity to urge the Philippine government issue standing invitations for these procedures to conduct visits to the country, in particular Special Rapporteurs on extra-judicial killings, on torture, on human rights defenders and Working Group on enforced disappearance.

I trust that you take serious and effective action on this matter.

Yours sincerely,


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PLEASE SEND YOUR LETTERS TO:

1. Ms. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
President of the Republic
Malacanang Palace,
JP Laurel St., San Miguel
Manila, Philippines
Fax: +63 2 742-1641 / 929-3968
E-mail: corres@op.gov.ph / opnet@ops.gov.ph 

2. Dr. Purificacion Quisumbing
Commissioner
Commission on Human Rights
SAAC Bldg., Commonwealth Avenue
U.P. Complex, Diliman
Quezon City
PHILIPPINES
Tel: +63 2 928 5655 / 926 6188
Fax: +63 2 929 0102
Email: drpvq@yahoo.com 

3. Director General Oscar Calderon
Chief, Philippine National Police (PNP)
Camp General Rafael Crame
Quezon City
PHILIPPINES
Tel: +63 2726 4361/4366/8763
Fax: +63 2724 8763
Email: pcrg@pnp.gov.ph  or ias@pnp.gov.ph 

4. Mr. Raul Gonzalez
Secretary
Department of Justice
DOJ Bldg., Padre Faura
1004 Manila
PHILIPPINES
Fax: +63 2 521 1614
Email: sechbp@infocom.com.ph 

5. Ms. Hina Jilani
Special Representative of the Secretary General for human rights defenders
Att: Melinda Ching Simon
Room 1-040
C/o OHCHR-UNOG
1211 Geneva 10
SWITZERLAND
Tel: +41 22 917 93 88
Fax: +41 22 917 9006 (ATTN: SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS)


Thank you.

Urgent Appeals Programme
Asian Human Rights Commission (ahrchk@ahrchk.org)



Document Type :
Urgent Appeal Update
Document ID :
UP-214-2006
Countries :
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Extended Introduction: Urgent Appeals, theory and practice

A need for dialogue

Many people across Asia are frustrated by the widespread lack of respect for human rights in their countries.  Some may be unhappy about the limitations on the freedom of expression or restrictions on privacy, while some are affected by police brutality and military killings.  Many others are frustrated with the absence of rights on labour issues, the environment, gender and the like. 

Yet the expression of this frustration tends to stay firmly in the private sphere.  People complain among friends and family and within their social circles, but often on a low profile basis. This kind of public discourse is not usually an effective measure of the situation in a country because it is so hard to monitor. 

Though the media may cover the issues in a broad manner they rarely broadcast the private fears and anxieties of the average person.  And along with censorship – a common blight in Asia – there is also often a conscious attempt in the media to reflect a positive or at least sober mood at home, where expressions of domestic malcontent are discouraged as unfashionably unpatriotic. Talking about issues like torture is rarely encouraged in the public realm.

There may also be unwritten, possibly unconscious social taboos that stop the public reflection of private grievances.  Where authoritarian control is tight, sophisticated strategies are put into play by equally sophisticated media practices to keep complaints out of the public space, sometimes very subtly.  In other places an inner consensus is influenced by the privileged section of a society, which can control social expression of those less fortunate.  Moral and ethical qualms can also be an obstacle.

In this way, causes for complaint go unaddressed, un-discussed and unresolved and oppression in its many forms, self perpetuates.  For any action to arise out of private frustration, people need ways to get these issues into the public sphere.

Changing society

In the past bridging this gap was a formidable task; it relied on channels of public expression that required money and were therefore controlled by investors.  Printing presses were expensive, which blocked the gate to expression to anyone without money.  Except in times of revolution the media in Asia has tended to serve the well-off and sideline or misrepresent the poor.

Still, thanks to the IT revolution it is now possible to communicate with large audiences at little cost.  In this situation there is a real avenue for taking issues from private to public, regardless of the class or caste of the individual.

Practical action

The AHRC Urgent Appeals system was created to give a voice to those affected by human rights violations, and by doing so, to create a network of support and open avenues for action.  If X’s freedom of expression is denied, if Y is tortured by someone in power or if Z finds his or her labour rights abused, the incident can be swiftly and effectively broadcast and dealt with. The resulting solidarity can lead to action, resolution and change. And as more people understand their rights and follow suit, as the human rights consciousness grows, change happens faster. The Internet has become one of the human rights community’s most powerful tools.   

At the core of the Urgent Appeals Program is the recording of human rights violations at a grass roots level with objectivity, sympathy and competence. Our information is firstly gathered on the ground, close to the victim of the violation, and is then broadcast by a team of advocates, who can apply decades of experience in the field and a working knowledge of the international human rights arena. The flow of information – due to domestic restrictions – often goes from the source and out to the international community via our program, which then builds a pressure for action that steadily makes its way back to the source through his or her own government.   However these cases in bulk create a narrative – and this is most important aspect of our program. As noted by Sri Lankan human rights lawyer and director of the Asian Human Rights Commission, Basil Fernando:

"The urgent appeal introduces narrative as the driving force for social change. This idea was well expressed in the film Amistad, regarding the issue of slavery. The old man in the film, former president and lawyer, states that to resolve this historical problem it is very essential to know the narrative of the people. It was on this basis that a court case is conducted later. The AHRC establishes the narrative of human rights violations through the urgent appeals. If the narrative is right, the organisation will be doing all right."

Patterns start to emerge as violations are documented across the continent, allowing us to take a more authoritative, systemic response, and to pinpoint the systems within each country that are breaking down. This way we are able to discover and explain why and how violations take place, and how they can most effectively be addressed. On this path, larger audiences have opened up to us and become involved: international NGOs and think tanks, national human rights commissions and United Nations bodies.  The program and its coordinators have become a well-used tool for the international media and for human rights education programs. All this helps pave the way for radical reforms to improve, protect and to promote human rights in the region.