CIVICUS Partners Join Call of “End Impunity! Justice Now!” in Philippines

Civil society organisations from around the globe and CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation join the loud calls by Philippines civil society of "End Impunity! Justice Now!" CIVICUS and its partners want the government of the Philippines to swiftly and transparently investigate the ongoing attacks facing opposition politicians, journalists and civil society advocates which on 23 November 2009 culminated in the slaying of at least 57 people in the violence-ridden Maguindanao province of the country.

Before this recent mass murder, the Philippines civil society organisation Karapatan (Alliance for the Advancement of People's Rights) has recorded 1,013 extrajudicial killings and 202 enforced disappearances since 2001. The massacre of 23 November targeted the convoy of a gubernatorial candidate's family and supporters, with a number of journalists and unfortunate bystanders also caught-up in the bloodshed. The killings underscore the high level of violence that remains common for opposition political activist, civil society and the general public in the Philippines. Local civil society organisations have often borne the brunt of this violence in their work to expose perpetrators of human rights violations. As one of many affected organisations, Karapatan has had 34 members killed since 2001, while other staff and members have been subjected to torture, arrests and other forms of intimidation.

CIVICUS and its partners are encouraged that the Philippine authorities on 1 December 2009 charged some of the suspected perpetrators of the prior week's killings, but are also mindful of the many past cases of rights violations that have languished for years without proper investigation and prosecution. With a clear political motivation behind this mass murder and a number of the suspected perpetrators being senior politicians and police officers in the province, CIVICUS and its partners remain hopeful for a meaningful investigation and prosecution process. Nevertheless, past experiences of impunity enjoyed by human rights violators suggest that justice may take a long time in coming.

The Association pour la Défense des Droits et des Libertés (Lebanon), CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation, Development Services Exchange (Solomon Islands), Karapatan, the Pakistan NGO Forum, Rapid Response Group – Uzbekistan, Red Nicaraguense por la Democracia y el Desarrollo Local (Nicaragua) and Sinergia: Venezuelan Association of Civil Society Organizations as members of global civil society call upon President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and all branches of the Philippines government to take urgent and sustained action to end the widespread culture of impunity and ensure the protection of civil society organisations and activists.