DAVAO CITY, Philippines – The Philippine National Police Regional Office 11 (PRO-11) criticized a news report regarding the statement and…
Posts by tag: Extrajudicial Killings
The International Criminal Court (ICC) Chief Prosecutor said on Monday there is “reasonable basis” that crimes against humanity were committed under the Duterte administration’s war on drugs campaign and may decide to investigate this by first half of 2021.
Conde further said that with the spate of killings, “the Aquino administration needs to declare that the attacks on journalists are a national catastrophe that threatens fundamental liberties.”
He said investigators were looking at several angles to the killing, “because of his several involvement with political and civic organizations, including on the Daneco row”.
Butalid is the third journalist killed in the country in the past three weeks, all in Mindanao, following Joas Dignos in Valencia, Bukidnon on November 29 and Michael Milo in Surigao City on December 9.
Karapatan’s secretary general Hanimay Suazo said Pedro Tinga, a 57-year old tribal leader in Barangay Malamodao, was killed in an operation by the Philippine Army’s Alpha Company of the 71st Battalion last Friday.
“Someone said fear and anxiety make impunity thrive. My impression is forgetting is the bigger enemy of accountability, and the biggest ally of impunity. When we forget, we allow criminals or human rights violators to get away with murder,” said Carlos Conde, Philippine researcher for Human Rights Watch.
One of the protesters raises his placard during a picket on Tuesday at the office of the Commission on Human Rights, demanding for investigation of victims of extrajudicial killings. (davaotoday.com photo by Earl O. Condeza)
The family of the slain eight-year boy reacted strongly to the decision of the government prosecutor who thrashed its murder complaint against soldiers they claimed to have been in the area at the time of the incident.
“Are authorities really that insensitive to children’s rights, that children can become collateral damage to military offensives?” asked Rius Valle, Children’s Rehabilitation Center Southern Mindanao spokesperson
