Militants caution govt vs ‘terror hysteria,’ use of anti-terror law
Source: gmanews
Leftist militants warned the Philippine government against building up a climate of “anti-terror hysteria" and urged it to respect human rights as it responds to growing fears of a possible terror attack in the country.
Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) made this warning amid a spate of travel advisories by foreign countries warning against possible attacks in the country, following the foiled terrorist attack on the United States.
“The government should take caution in validating so-called terror threats. It should not promote fear and panic and it should respect human rights," Bayan secretary-general Renato Reyes Jr. said on the Bayan website on Nov. 4.
The United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and France have all issued travel advisories, warning their citizens of possible terror attacks in the Philippines.
Human security act
In the same statement, Bayan also exhorted the government not to rush its use of the Human Security Act, saying that this could lead to more violations of human rights.
The Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the anti-terror law last month, dismissing petitions that assailed the law as dangerous because it authorizes preventive detention, expands the power of warrantless arrests, and allows for the unchecked invasion of privacy, liberty and other basic human rights.
Republic Act 9372, signed into law in 2007, declares piracy, rebellion or insurrection, coup d’états, kidnapping and serious illegal detention, arson and other crimes as “acts of terrorism" that carry stiff penalties.
“The Supreme Court dismissed the petitions against the so-called anti-terror law on the basis of a technicality and not on the substantive arguments," Reyes noted.
“Our concerns with dangerous provisions of the HSA remain. These include surveillance and prolonged detention without charges," he said.
Bayan also cautioned the government should against engaging in “racial profiling" and treating the entire Muslim population as “suspects". “We have seen how the previous government conducted its so-called anti-terror campaign with great consequences to the Muslim population," Reyes said.
“Heightened urban militarization is also not the answer" to terrorism, Bayan also added.
The Philippine military considers Bayan one of the “front organizations" of the Communist Party of the Philippines, the organization that has led a 40-year insurgency.
Having been tagged a “terrorist" group, some of the leaders of its member groups have been summarily executed.
In his 2008 report on extrajudicial killings, Philip Alston, United Nations Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions disclosed that about 800 civil society leaders have been summarily executed from 2002 to 2008 simply because they were seen as CPP fronts.
“In some areas, the leaders of leftist organizations are systematically hunted down by interrogating and torturing those who may know their whereabouts, and they are often killed following a campaign of individual vilification designed to instill fear into the community," Alson said. - DM, GMANews.TV
Leftist militants warned the Philippine government against building up a climate of “anti-terror hysteria" and urged it to respect human rights as it responds to growing fears of a possible terror attack in the country.
Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) made this warning amid a spate of travel advisories by foreign countries warning against possible attacks in the country, following the foiled terrorist attack on the United States.
“The government should take caution in validating so-called terror threats. It should not promote fear and panic and it should respect human rights," Bayan secretary-general Renato Reyes Jr. said on the Bayan website on Nov. 4.
The United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and France have all issued travel advisories, warning their citizens of possible terror attacks in the Philippines.
Human security act
In the same statement, Bayan also exhorted the government not to rush its use of the Human Security Act, saying that this could lead to more violations of human rights.
The Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the anti-terror law last month, dismissing petitions that assailed the law as dangerous because it authorizes preventive detention, expands the power of warrantless arrests, and allows for the unchecked invasion of privacy, liberty and other basic human rights.
Republic Act 9372, signed into law in 2007, declares piracy, rebellion or insurrection, coup d’états, kidnapping and serious illegal detention, arson and other crimes as “acts of terrorism" that carry stiff penalties.
“The Supreme Court dismissed the petitions against the so-called anti-terror law on the basis of a technicality and not on the substantive arguments," Reyes noted.
“Our concerns with dangerous provisions of the HSA remain. These include surveillance and prolonged detention without charges," he said.
Bayan also cautioned the government should against engaging in “racial profiling" and treating the entire Muslim population as “suspects". “We have seen how the previous government conducted its so-called anti-terror campaign with great consequences to the Muslim population," Reyes said.
“Heightened urban militarization is also not the answer" to terrorism, Bayan also added.
The Philippine military considers Bayan one of the “front organizations" of the Communist Party of the Philippines, the organization that has led a 40-year insurgency.
Having been tagged a “terrorist" group, some of the leaders of its member groups have been summarily executed.
In his 2008 report on extrajudicial killings, Philip Alston, United Nations Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions disclosed that about 800 civil society leaders have been summarily executed from 2002 to 2008 simply because they were seen as CPP fronts.
“In some areas, the leaders of leftist organizations are systematically hunted down by interrogating and torturing those who may know their whereabouts, and they are often killed following a campaign of individual vilification designed to instill fear into the community," Alson said. - DM, GMANews.TV
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