Family of dead combatant harassed, human rights workers unjustly detained

AFP's 74th IB scored for violating international humanitarian laws

Press Release
By KARAPATAN
August 23, 2006

QUEZON CITY, Philippines  – "We condemn in the strongest possible terms the illegal arrest and detention of eight human rights volunteers committed by the 74th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army (IBPA) in Quezon. We demand that our colleagues be immediately and safely released," said KARAPATAN Public Information Officer Ruth Cervantes.

The human rights watchdog KARAPATAN scored the 74th IBPA for violating international humanitarian laws (IHL) governing armed conflict when it prevented a family from retrieving the remains of a suspected rebel. The Army has likewise violated IHL when soldiers illegally arrested and detained 8 human rights workers who accompanied the family.

"The 74th IB had shown the public that the government is violating its commitment to apply the principles and standards of IHL that should protect those who are taking NO active part in the hostilities, persons placed hors de combat, persons deprived of liberty for reasons related to armed conflict and relatives and duly authorized representatives of above-named persons," said Ruth Cervantes, KARAPATAN Public Information Officer.

On August 22, 2006, KARAPATAN-Southern Tagalog sent a humanitarian mission to Catanauan, Quezon to accompany Hermogenes Aumentado to retrieve the body of his daughter Raquel Aumentado, who was reported to have been killed in an encounter between government forces and the New People's Army (NPA).

Between 10 to 11 o'clock in the morning, soldiers belonging to the 74th IBPA stopped the mission at gunpoint, ordered the Aumentado family and baranggay officials to back out and arrested eight human rights volunteers, namely Mary Jane Almoete, Christopher de Leon, Khristina Mae Guray, Virgilio Batardo, Ramon Blastique Fajardo, Nona Quejero, JR Quejero and Kristine Tulay.

The eight volunteers are being held at the military camp because Lt. Col. Amado Bustillos alleged that they were suspected NPA rebels.

"That is an outright lie! We condemn the 74th IBPA for this attack on human rights defenders.  We condemn the Col. Bustillos for the vilifying KARAPATAN and our members to justify the assault on human rights workers," Cervantes said.

KARAPATAN said the military all too often use the communist or NPA tag as a justification to summarily execute or harass civilians. "They are also angry at us because their victims come to us for help, thus exposing the criminal acts that they have done to ordinary citizens whom they vowed to protect."

Under the GMA regime's Oplan Bantay Laya, we are currently subjected to a vilification campaign, which not only puts our workers in the field at greater risk but also hinders us from giving immediate assistance to victims. To date, twenty-six (26) KARAPATAN human rights workers have been killed under the GMA administration on top of countless fact-finding, peace and humanitarian missions that were harassed.

"As a citizen's watchdog on human rights, it is our duty to observe how the State, as signatory to human rights conventions, comply with the highest standards set by human rights instruments. Reported cases of violations committed by state security forces against its citizens are documented by our organization as we advocate for the respect of the full scope of the Filipino people's human rights.

"In a democracy, human rights workers should be allowed to do their job of assisting victims and monitoring state compliance to human rights conventions without fear of reprisal from government. Apparently, military authority is being made to prevail by the Arroyo government." Cervantes concluded.