Ruth Cervantes, Karapatan Public Information Officer
Romy Luneta, SELDA National Secretariat
Human rights organizations under the banner of Karapatan, which includes the organization of martial law victims and former political prisoners called SELDA, today joins the public demonstration at the Liwasang Bonifacio to mark the 35th anniversary of the declaration of martial law.
As we pay tribute to the thousands of Filipino heroes, both living and dead, who have fought the dictatorial regime of Ferdinand Marcos, we call on our compatriots to resist the Arroyo regime's terrorism with the same fervor.
We also pay our highest tribute to 33 of our colleagues and the 358 activists who were martyred in the defense of human rights. They made the ultimate sacrifice of giving their lives for our people's rights. We salute our colleagues in the field, especially those who incessantly face but continue to defy threats and intimidation in order to document cases of rights violations and assist victims and their families.
There is a new dictator and kleptocrat in Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and her cohorts under an undeclared martial law. Her regime have already recorded 886 victims of extrajudicial killings, 355 victims of frustrated extrajudicial killings, 184 enforced disappearances and 799 victims of torture in her six-year rule.
Historian Alfred W. McCoy said there were 3,257 victims of extrajudicial killings in the 14-year martial rule of Marcos. Various human rights organizations recorded 769 victims of enforced disappearance from 1971 to February 1986.
As in the past, the perpetrators of human rights violations, mainly state forces and death squads under their direction and control, continue to enjoy impunity because the Commander-In-Chief has allowed, abetted and countenanced violence committed against women and men, children and the elderly in all sectors of society.
To this day, the words of former Senator and anti-dictatorship stalwart Jose "Pepe" Diokno rings true "If we do not struggle with all that we can have and do all that we can to vindicate our rights, we not only condemn our rights to death; we also condemn our hopes and dreams, our present, and our children's future. Which course shall we choose?"
Thus, we call on all compatriots to renew our commitment to defend our human rights in the face of fascism and join the families of victims in their quest for justice not only for their kin but also for the whole nation.
Let us continue to expose and oppose the US government and its puppet regime in the Philippines for instigating a dirty war against the Filipino people in order to remain in power and benefit from the existing unjust social system.
As we pay tribute to the thousands of Filipino heroes, both living and dead, who have fought the dictatorial regime of Ferdinand Marcos, we call on our compatriots to resist the Arroyo regime's terrorism with the same fervor.
We also pay our highest tribute to 33 of our colleagues and the 358 activists who were martyred in the defense of human rights. They made the ultimate sacrifice of giving their lives for our people's rights. We salute our colleagues in the field, especially those who incessantly face but continue to defy threats and intimidation in order to document cases of rights violations and assist victims and their families.
There is a new dictator and kleptocrat in Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and her cohorts under an undeclared martial law. Her regime have already recorded 886 victims of extrajudicial killings, 355 victims of frustrated extrajudicial killings, 184 enforced disappearances and 799 victims of torture in her six-year rule.
Historian Alfred W. McCoy said there were 3,257 victims of extrajudicial killings in the 14-year martial rule of Marcos. Various human rights organizations recorded 769 victims of enforced disappearance from 1971 to February 1986.
As in the past, the perpetrators of human rights violations, mainly state forces and death squads under their direction and control, continue to enjoy impunity because the Commander-In-Chief has allowed, abetted and countenanced violence committed against women and men, children and the elderly in all sectors of society.
To this day, the words of former Senator and anti-dictatorship stalwart Jose "Pepe" Diokno rings true "If we do not struggle with all that we can have and do all that we can to vindicate our rights, we not only condemn our rights to death; we also condemn our hopes and dreams, our present, and our children's future. Which course shall we choose?"
Thus, we call on all compatriots to renew our commitment to defend our human rights in the face of fascism and join the families of victims in their quest for justice not only for their kin but also for the whole nation.
Let us continue to expose and oppose the US government and its puppet regime in the Philippines for instigating a dirty war against the Filipino people in order to remain in power and benefit from the existing unjust social system.
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