Lawyers group kay Duterte: Itigil ang EJKs

Umapela kay Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte ang isang international lawyers group na itigil ang extrajudicial killings sa Pilipinas.

Nanawagan ang International Association of Democratic Lawyers (IADL) kay Duterte na kanilang tinawag na, “a brother in the profession” sa pagiging isa ring abogado at dating former state prosecutor.

“The IADL respectfully reminds you that the Philippines has a duty to comply with the principles enshrined in the international human rights instruments, especially the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), a treaty which was ratified by your Government in 1986,” mababasa sa liham na naka-adress kay Duterte na tinanggap nitong Disyembre 21.

“The right to life in Article 6 requires respect for the right to life and against extrajudicial killing,” nakasaad sa liham.

“These fundamental rights and liberties are not inconsistent with, and in fact are integral to a state’s goal of fostering an orderly, just, and humane society,” paliwanag ng IADL.

Sinabi ng grupo na, “[we] heard reports from reliable and independent human rights organizations about the death toll related to the Philippine government’s campaign against illegal drugs.”

“IADL likewise notes that the Philippine government has unilaterally terminated the peace talks with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP), warning of a ‘crackdown’ against activities belonging to legal organizations. Critics from within the government itself, meanwhile, face termination of their tenure for voicing opinions contrary to the avowed policies of the administration,” dagdag ng grupo.

Dahil dito, hiniling ng IADL kay Duterte na, End extrajudicial killings in the ‘war against illegal drugs’; End extrajudicial killings, illegal arrests and other human rights violations against the people and members of people’s organizations; Stop or abort any and all measures or plans in any form that are authoritarian and violate basic rights; Seriously investigate, prosecute and end impunity of the perpetrators of human rights violations; Tolerate dissent and respect the rights of the people to freedom of expression, speech, assembly, and association; Ensure the protection of human rights defenders including human rights lawyers; Respect international human rights law and consider human rights as universal and not an internal affair of a state but a concern of the international community; at Respect international humanitarian law and resume the peace process and the resolution of poverty, injustice and the roots of the armed conflict with the National Democratic Front and pursue efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace.

Ang IADL ay isang international association ng progressive lawyers at jurists na itinatag sa Paris noong 1946.