Remember Repression, Remember Resistance, Remember Courage -TFDP

Remember Repression, Remember Resistance, Remember Courage

#FREEourDEFENDERS! Poster out soon

Government keeps denying the existence of political prisoners. We need to assert the truth! Join us in a call to #FREEOURDEFENDERS! Free all political prisoners!

In previous statement, PNoy’s spokesperson Lacierda declared that ‘We have no political prisoners.’  Then the Department of Justice (DOJ) failed to deliver Government’s commitment to look into the plight of all victims of political incarceration as a result of the hunger strike more than one year ago.  There’s unconfirmed information that the existing mechanism for the release of alleged political offenders (PCBREP) is to be dissolved by the government. If this information is true then the Aquino Government has no intention to release political prisoners through executive action.   

While the general public and even most advocates are not aware of the situation and continuing violation of political incarceration and criminalization of political offense, these violations are used to attack freedom of belief and even human rights defenders. 

Arrest of a prominent Muslim human rights defender from Jolo, Sulu

PHILIPPINES: ARREST OF A PROMINENT MUSLIM HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDER FROM JOLO, SULU

ISSUES: FABRICATION OF CHARGES AND ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE

UPDATE ON URGENT APPEAL   UPDATE ON URGENT APPEAL

Dear Friends,

Task Force Detainees of the Philippines (TFDP), writes to inform you about the updated information regarding the case of Mr. Temogen Sahipa Tulawie. Several appeals were sent before regarding the harassment he was facing as a human rights defender.

On January 13,2012 at about 11:45 in the evening, Mr. Tulawie was arrested at his rented house in Davao City by combined elements of Military Intelligence Group (MIG) from Region 9 led by Sgt. Reyes, members of Special Action Force (SAF) led by Supt. Fernando Ortega and members of Police Intelligence (R2).

Mr. Tulawie was already planning to voluntarily give himself and face the charges hurled against him after the Supreme Court already granted the motion he filed for transfer of venue to the Regional Trial Court (RTC) of Davao City, because he believes that he will not be afforded with impartiality if his case will be tried in Jolo, Sulu.

On June 13,2011, the Supreme Court granted the request for transfer of venue. Dispositive portion reads as “ Acting on the Petition for transfer of Venue, filed by Temogen “cocoy” Tulawie, one of the accused in Criminal nos. (07-09) 1648-3 and (07-09) 1649-3 from the Regional Trial Court (RTC) of Jolo, Sulu, to any court as this Court may deem convenient, and considering that there is an indication of actual and imminent threat to the life of the petitioner and his family, as well as his witnesses, as found by the Court of appeals in CA-G.R. SP No. 00002-W/RA-MIN and there is reason to believe that continuing with the trial of the subject criminal cases in the RTC, Jolo, Sulu can lead to a miscarriage of justice”.

PETITION SIGNING: SUPPORT THE POLITICAL PRISONERS' HUNGER STRIKE FOR FREEDOM AND HUMAN RIGHTS! FREE ALL POLITICAL PRISONERS!

We call on President Aquino to:

1. Call upon competent authorities to look into the plight of the political prisoners and detainees particularly the criminalization of their political acts, and the bureaucracy in government that failed to immediately act on petitions such as parole, pardon and clemency filed by prisoners;
2. Review the present Board of Pardons and Parole guidelines 2006 Revised Manual of the Board of Pardons and Parole, Section 3, Extraordinary Circumstances, a) to consider the proposal to lower the age limit of those eligible for pardon from 70 to 60 and, b)  to include prisoners who are “terminally ill and have debilitating diseases” for immediate executive clemency;
3. Create a working group to examine, monitor, review and provide recommendations in relation to the ongoing cases of political offenders. Similar actions should be taken in dealing with pending appeals and applications for parole, pardon and clemency filed by political prisoners. The group should have unrestricted access to the prison system and its records;
4. Provide “a general and unconditional amnesty” for the release of political prisoners and detainees;
5. Provide a clear action plan of government to include human rights principles as basis for governance and development plan;
6. Guarantee the respect of human rights and the fundamental freedoms in accordance with international human rights standards.

The 319 political prisoners and detainees nationwide need our support now.  We are writing on behalf of all the victims of political incarceration and seek your kind support.

PLEASE SIGN PETITION HERE!

Rights group urges gov’t to release cancer-stricken political prisoner - Nation - GMA News Online - Latest Philippine News

Rights group urges gov’t to release cancer-stricken political prisoner - Nation - GMA News Online - Latest Philippine News

As the government continues to look into the alleged VIP treatment of homicide convict former Batangas Governor Jose Antonio Leviste, a rights group asked President Benigno Aquino III to release an ailing political detainee.

The alleged VIP treatment given to Leviste by national penitentiary officials had urged the Task Force Detainees of the Philippines (TFDP) to call for the immediate release of political prisoner Mariano Umbrero, who is diagnosed with cancer.

“We pray for Umbrero’s health and that God may touch PNoy’s heart and convince him to exercise his power to grant executive clemency to Tatay Umbrero whose health is deteriorating rapidly," TFDP executive director Emmanuel Amistad said.

House Resolution No. 1135 – a shameless attempt to twist history – www.tfdp.net

House Resolution No. 1135 that seeks the burial of the late Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani is a shameless attempt to rehabilitate the image of a dictator and notorious human rights violator. It is also a move to re-write history in favor of Mr. Marcos.

The thousands of human rights victims are proof of the gross violations of human rights during the time of Mr. Marcos. The assassination of Ninoy Aquino is ample evidence of the bloody reign of the dictatorship. Mr. Marcos when he was alive denied any wrongdoing and his family continues to strut around peddling this blatant lie. Cronyism, corruption and human rights violations were the order of the day during that time of darkness.