Human rights group urges AFP chief to address extrajudicial killings

An international human rights group on Monday called on Armed Forces chief Lt. Gen. Jessie Dellosa to address extrajudicial killings and hold soldiers allegedly involved in human rights violations accountable for their actions.

 

The group Human Rights Watch sent a letter to Dellosa urging the military chief “to end impunity for human rights abuses within the armed forces.”

 

“We write to ask you to take action to end extrajudicial killings, ensure that your soldiers are held accountable for rights abuses, professionalize the security forces, and protect children’s rights in the context of armed conflict,” the group’s letter read.

 

The international organization noted how “the public rhetoric of senior military officers… has not resulted in better military cooperation with investigating authorities, comprehensive internal investigations of implicated military personnel, or increased openness within the military structure.”

 

GMA News Online sought AFP spokesman Col. Arnulfo Burgos’ comments on the group’s observations, but the military official said these statements should be referred to the AFP Human Rights Office (HRO).

 

Earlier this month, AFP HRO chief Colonel Domingo Tutaan assured Human Rights Watch that the military leadership is acting on cases of human rights violations involving soldiers.

 

“We are with the Human Rights Watch and other independent organizations in putting a just resolution to these cases but we must take it to the court and undergo due process of law,” he said in a statement last February 4.

 

Tutaan, however, reminded human rights group that the AFP “is not a prosecutory body” and that “once an involved soldier goes outside military bounds, the final say will come from the higher civilian court.”

 

‘Don’t assist Palparan’

 

In the same letter, the international group asked the AFP to publicly discourage soldiers and military officers from assisting retired Army general and former party-list representative Jovito Palparan.

 

Palparan is currently wanted for his alleged involvement in the kidnapping of student activists Karen Empeno and Sherlyn Cadapan in 2006.

 

“[The military should] publicly announce to all soldiers and officers of the AFP that assisting Palparan in avoiding arrest or failing to cooperate with civilian authorities is obstructing justice,” the group told Dellosa in the letter.

 

The Human Rights Watch earlier said that it has information that certain military personnel and business owners are helping Palparan evade arrest.

 

Palparan, however, issued a statement while in hiding saying that AFP officials are not coddling him and that he would not accept any help from his former colleagues.

 

More challenges

 

The group also asked the military to address supposed abuses by paramilitary forces, such as Civilian Armed Force Geographical Units (CAFGUs) and Civilian Volunteer Organizations (CVOs).

 

“We recognize that the Philippines continues to face genuine internal security threats. However, Philippine history shows that seeking to replace professional armed forces and police with armed yet untrained or barely trained civilians is dangerous and counterproductive,” the organization said.

 

It added that the AFP should also refrain from “falsely tagging” children as leftist rebels and from using schools for military purposes.

 

“We urge you to protect students and teachers by ordering the armed forces to respect the law and to stay out of educational facilities. Putting schools and their students in the line of fire places them at grave risk,” it said.

 

According to its website, the Human Rights Watch is an independent organization “dedicated to defending and protecting human rights” which monitors human rights developments in more than 90 countries around the world. — RSJ, GMA News