A series of massacres of civilians in Sulu, including those of two grandchildren of an MNLF leader, provoked the latest wave of fighting between government troops and the Moro revolutionary group.
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In Compostela Valley?s villages, a de facto martial law exists. Civilians have been tortured, detained, harassed and killed as the military increases its presence in the resource-rich province in order to protect, according to residents and activists, plantation and mining companies. The deaths of Grecil Buya in March and the killing of two civilians by soldiers last Wednesday were the offshoots of yet another case of ?development aggression.?
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MANILA — The parents of Grecil Buya, the nine-year-old girl killed by the army during a firefight with communist rebels in New Bataan, Compostela Valley, on March 31, filed charges against the military before the Office of the Ombudsman.
Gregorio Galacio and Virginia Buya went to the ombudsman on Friday to file administrative charges against 2nd Lt. Francis John Gabawa and his men in a platoon belonging to the 67th IB who were responsible for Grecil’s death.
The soldiers strafed the victims when they failed to stop at checkpoints but according to the human-rights group Karapatan, the victims had difficulty stopping because, aside from the darkness, there were no signs or signals that a checkpoint was being conducted. The soldiers, Karapatan said, suddenly appeared from the roadside.
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ROME — A death penalty free world is possible if key governments are willing to show political leadership, said Irene Khan, Amnesty International’s Secretary General.
“Amnesty International is calling for a universal moratorium on executions. Only six countries — Iran, Iraq, Sudan, Pakistan, the USA and China — were responsible for 90 percent of all executions carried out in 2006. These hard core executioners are isolated and out of tune with global trends,” said Ms Khan.
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