World Council of Churches seeks RP action on killings

[Judi Lynn]

Thursday, September 7, 2006
World Council of Churches seeks RP action on killings

By LESLIE ANN G. AQUINO

In the hope of putting an end to extrajudicial killings in the country, the World Council of Churches (WCC) yesterday called on the Philippine government to disband "death squads," private militias, and paramilitary forces which the group said seem to be operating with impunity in the country.


The WCC is an ecumenical fellowship of churches which aims to promote Christian unity in faith, witness, and service for a just and peaceful world.

Since its establishment in 1948, it has brought together 348 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican, and other churches representing more than 560 million Christians in over 110 countries. It works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church.

The central committee of the WCC issued the call to the Philippine government in a statement issued at the end of its meeting in Geneva, Switzerland.

The WCC said it was prompted to issue the call due to the increase in the number of extrajudicial killings in the country committed against journalists, lawyers, leaders of people’s organizations, human rights activists, and church workers.
(snip/...)

http://www.mb.com.ph/MAIN2006090773721.html



The Philippine President, Gloria Arroyo and friend.

[AlamoDemoc]

1. hahahaha I love the caption, its a keeper

[applegrove]

2. Missed the Churches speaking out. I miss you guys.

[Judi Lynn]

3. Extrajudicial Killings and Sham Investigation

Saturday, September 2, 2006
Extrajudicial Killings and Sham Investigation

The presidential order forming the commission is widely seen more as a political gimmick rather than as a major step toward stopping the extrajudicial killings. It was meant to mollify public outrage over the killings and clear the constitutionally impaired presidency of possible accountability.

By the Policy Studies, Publication and Advocacy Program
Center for People Empowerment in Governance (CenPEG)

MANILA — Unless the Melo Commission gets to the bottom of the extrajudicial killings, it will suffer the same fate as previous presidential probe bodies. The task that challenges the commission is to make itself credible by holding an impartial and independent investigation of the political killings even if this would mean summoning the president for “command responsibility” as the armed forces’ commander-in-chief.

The commission was formed by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on Aug. 21 – the 23rd anniversary of the assassination of Sen. Benigno Aquino – to investigate the spate of extrajudicial killings that, since 2001, have claimed the lives of 740 civilians as well as the disappearance of 180 others. Although under Administrative Order 157 the commission is authorized to summon witnesses and to deputize military, police and justice officials, it is unclear whether this includes the power to summon top government officials alleged to have a key role in the killings.

Suspected to be behind the killings are military death squads and paramilitary and police forces. Victims’ families, cause-oriented groups and rights watchdogs allege that the killings of church leaders, party-list organizers, youth activists, lawyers and rights volunteers are part of the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ (AFP) Oplan Bantay Laya (OBL or operation plan freedom watch). Designed to end the 37-year-old leftist armed struggle, this internal security plan had been approved by Arroyo’s Cabinet Oversight Committee on Internal Security (COC-IS).

After a long silence, Mrs. Arroyo was forced to form the commission on the heels of strong concerns about the killings raised by Amnesty International (AI), Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), Asian Human Rights Council (AHRC) and other reputable international organizations. Church and lawyers groups and legislators in the United States have also urged President Bush to withdraw support for the Philippine president, who just weathered a second impeachment in Congress on charges of violating the Constitution, betrayal of public trust and graft and corruption.
(snip/...)

http://davaotoday.com/2006/09/02/extrajudicial-killings-and-sham-investigation/





Remember Berlusconi?