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Human Rights Violations.

The issue.

Since 2001, over 850+ people from every sector of Philippine society have been victims of the rampant political killings in the Philippines: workers, peasants, students, teachers, clergy, journalists, lawyers, and so on. Many witnesses to these deaths have pointed to elements of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in carrying out these killings. Not one person has been tried or convicted for any of these deaths and there has been complete inaction by President Arroyo's government in putting a stop to these atrocities.

The U.S. government has been complicit by providing excessive amounts of military assistance to the Philippine government. Reports from the Library of U.S. Congress - Federal Research Division on the Philippines dated March 2006, stated that the total U.S. military assistance to the Philippines rose from $38 million in 2001 to $114 million in 2003 and a projected $164 million in 2005. In other words, U.S. tax dollars have been subsidizing death squads of the Philippine military at the cost of the Filipino people.

What's been done internationally?

The politically motivated killings in the Philippines have become internationalized, drawing expressions of concern and denunciation. Statements condemning human rights violations and pressuring Arroyo to act on these have continually poured in from various international quarters:

  • Amnesty International
  • Council of the European Union
  • The governments of Finland, Spain, France, Canada, and Japan
  • World Council of Churches (WCC)
  • World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC)
  • Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC)
  • Uniting Church in Australia
  • United Church of Christ in Canada
  • United Methodist Church in the U.S
  • Human Rights Watch (HRW)

The Joint Foreign Chambers of Commerce - big business groups from the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Europe, Japan and Korea, and the Philippine Association of Multinational Companies Regional Headquarters - called on the Arroyo government to put a stop to the killings or risk losing foreign investments. Officials of Wal-Mart and U.S.-based apparel companies Gap, Polo Ralph Lauren, Liz Claiborne, American Eagle Outfitters, Jones Apparel Group, and Phillips Van Heusen signed a letter to Mrs. Arroyo making a similar plea.

What has babae done about this issue?

babae has...
  • released statements condemning the killings
  • conducted teach-ins
  • participated in mass mobilizations
  • sent members to fact-finding exposures in the Philippines
  • met with the Consulate General of the Philippine Embassy in San Francisco
  • helped organize and raise funds for KARAPATAN, the Human Rights Alliance in the Philippines

For more information about the issue:

Download : Political Killings Primer

Visit : www.stopthekillings.org and Karapatan

Links

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