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Fil-Am activist to return to RP to pursue case vs military


DARK PLACE. Alleged torture victim Melissa Roxas in this file photo relates her harrowing experience at the hands of her captors. BAYAN Photo
MANILA, Philippines - The Filipino-American activist who alleged she was tortured and abducted by the Philippine military two months ago would return to the country to pursue her case, the militant group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) said Sunday. In a statement, Bayan said Melissa Roxas will return to the country on Monday, accompanied by representatives of the Nevada Conference of the United Methodist Church from the US. The delegation is set to conduct a fact-finding mission on human rights violations in the Philippines. "Roxas’ return shows a serious intent to pursue her case. She will face head-on the denials made by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP)," said Bayan secretary general Renato Reyes Jr. The Philippine Court of Appeals (CA) is handling the proceedings for Roxas’ petition for the Writ of Amparo. Shortly after she filed her plea, Roxas went back to the United States last month for security reasons. The writ is a remedy available to any person whose right to life, liberty, and security is violated or threatened with violation by an unlawful act or omission. Last June 29, the CA said Roxas’ petition could still be archived if she won’t appear before the court’s hearing on July 30. The court said Roxas should attend succeeding hearings so she could affirm the contents of her affidavit before the court. Under the Rules of Amparo, a case can be archived if a petitioner or witness fails to appear due to threats on their lives. The rules were conceived to solve extrajudicial killings and forced disappearances in the country in recent years. The writ denies respondents, such as government authorities and private individuals and entities, the defense of simple denial. Torture, abduction Roxas claimed that her life has been threatened in the Philippines since she exposed her supposed abduction and torture by the AFP. The Fil-Am activist said she was abducted in La Paz, Tarlac on May 19 and was brought to a military camp presumed to be the Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija province. [See: Fil-Am accuses military men of torturing her] The AFP, through government lawyers from the Office of the Solicitor General, had denied Roxas’ claims and even said that her allegations might be intended to discredit the military. According to her affidavit, Roxas said she was accused of being a member of the Communist Party of the Philippines – New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) and was repeatedly interrogated and beaten up. Although she was released on May 25, she was warned by her abductors not to talk about her experience. On May 28, she filed her petition for issuance of a Writ of Amparo – a Spanish word for “protection" – before the Supreme Court. The high tribunal referred her case to the Court of Appeals. Case vs RP government Roxas, an American citizen of Filipino descent, filed last July 1 a complaint before the US State Department and asked the US government to conduct an “impartial and vigorous investigation of the Philippine government’s culpability" about the incident. Malacañang had earlier said it was ready to answer Roxas’ allegations. "The government is prepared to act accordingly. We just hope that this is not used for propaganda," Press Secretary Cerge Remonde told GMANews.TV. [See: Palace ready to face probe on torture of Fil-Am activist] Roxas can still seek the full protection of the US as she has not applied yet for dual citizenship despite having both Filipino parents. - GMANews.TV
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