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CHR expresses concern over killing of NUPL lawyer


The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) has expressed grave concern over the killing of National Union of People's Lawyers founding member Benjamin Ramos whom the CHR described as a human rights defender.

“The CHR continues to express concern on the continuing violence against human rights defenders in the country, with the killing of Atty. Benjamin Ramos as another addition to the growing incidents of injustices to be reported,” lawyer Jacqueline Ann de Guia, CHR spokesperson, said in a statement.

Prior to his death, Ramos served as one of the lawyers of the victims of the Sagay massacre which left nine sugar workers dead.

President Rodrigo Duterte, for his part, has blamed the massacre of the Sagay sugarcane farmers to communists rebels, saying the farmers were recruits of the insurgents and were intentionally killed by their recruiters to discredit the Duterte administration.

De Guia also noted that before Ramos' demise, the founding NUPL lawyer's photo was included in a poster tagging him and other personalities as members of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army-National Democratic Front. These posters, the CHR said, were disseminated in central Negros.

“Ramos' rights was supposed to be protected by the government, including his right to life. [As such], we call on the government to act with urgency in pinning down the perpetrators of this violence and proceed with active measures that would protect the safety of human rights defenders who continue to serve this country’s most vulnerable and marginalized [sectors],” De Guia said.

At a press conference, CHR chairperson Chito Gascon denounced all forms of harassment against human rights lawyers.

“We condemn in the strongest possible way all forms of harassment, intimidation and physical violence on the people's lawyers. We have seen over the last few days and weeks assassination and charges and now last night, their colleague, Attorney Ben Ramos was brutally assassinated,” Gascon said.

He called on the government to protect legal counsels as they are only defending individuals whose rights were violated.

“This must stop. We call the government to protect human rights defenders, to protect all lawyers who are rushing to the defense of people whose rights have been violated,” Gascon said.

The CHR's Region 6 office, thru its sub-office in Bacolod City, already sent a Quick Response Team to investigate Ramos' murder. — Llanesca T. Panti and Anna Felicia Bajo/RSJ, GMA News

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