International Association of Democratic Lawyers

General Assembly of the International Association of Democratic Lawyers (IADL) in Hanoi Condemns Rampant Human Rights Violations and Impunity in the Philippines.

DATELINE HANOI, June 9, 2009: The General Assembly of the International
Association of Democratic Lawyers (IADL) expresses serious concern on the rampant human rights violations in the Philippines and the refusal of the Phlippine government to investigate and prosecute its state security forces and stop the impunity of the perpetrators. In a two page resolution, instantly and unanimously passed by more than 200 delegates from all over the world to the IADL XVIIth Congress in Hanoi, Vietnam, the IADL also condemns the attacks on lawyers and judges in the Philippines and calls on the UN Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Lawyers and Judges to investigate this.

The IADL resolution also calls for a stop to the undemocratic and repressive labelling of human rights defenders and political activists as enemies of the state or “terrorists” and calls for the resumption of formal talks in the peace negotiation between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the National Democratic Front (NDF).

The resolution also urges the United States government to stop providing military aid to the Philippine government and desist from any military intervention in the country especially the deployment of troops.

The resolution was based on the findings of the IADL that since President Gloria Arroyo took over the presidency in 2001, more than a thousand people have fallen victims to extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearance, torture and other human rights violations reportedly perpetrated by state security forces in response to the growing opposition to government policies and corruption. More than forty lawyers and judges have been killed since President Arroyo came to power, a number of which were human rights victims lawyers.

The persistent intervention of the United States government and the deployment of US troops in the country to aid a repressive regime, were also noted in the resolution, as a hindrance to achieving a just and lasting peace in the country and in resolving the roots of the armed conflict by way of forging agreements on basic social, economic, constitutional and political reforms.

The IADL XVIIth Congress will end today, with the General Assembly expected to come up with a General Declaration. A 9-member team of lawyers from NUPL from different regions in the Philippines are in Hanoi
since June 4 attending the IADL congress and assembly as well as its commissions.

ENDS

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