PRESS RELEASE
Information Bureau
Communist Party of the Philippines

CPP demands immediate release of 9 victims of rights violations in Mindoro
November 12, 2004

The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) today demanded the immediate and unconditional release of nine individuals illegally arrested by elements of the Philippine Air Force 704th Strike Wing on November 6 in Cuenca, Batangas.

CPP spokesman Gregorio "Ka Roger" Rosal denounced the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) for the warrantless and illegal arrest, illegal detention and denial of the right to counsel of the victims who have come to be known as the "Mindoro 9".

Rosal said that the AFP has "trampled several times over" the provisions of the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL), which was signed by the Philippine government and the National Democratic Front (NDF) in 1998.

The AFP, Rosal said, violated CARHRIHL provisions guaranteeing the right against unwarranted and unjustified arrest when it accosted the "Mindoro 9" without proper warrants and information. According to his sources, Rosal said, no arrest warrant has been issued by the Mindoro Regional Trial Court against any of those arrested, contrary to the AFP's claims.

Rosal also decried the AFP's refusal to allow the victims to communicate with their relatives and counsels.

"AFP officials themselves have admitted that they have interrogated the victims," Rosal said. He explained that such "interrogations" violate the CARHRIHL which prohibits arresting units from compelling persons to disclose information other than their identities.

AFP statements asserting that the nine victims admitted participation in NPA operations against the military in 2002 and 2003 "are inadmissible, since they were made without the benefit of counsel," said Rosal.

He added that the CPP was likewise investigating the possibility of torture. "As everyone knows, military 'tactical interrogation' is a euphemism for physical and mental torture sessions," said Rosal.

He also pointed out that the AFP violated another CARHRIHL provision for its failure to report the arrest of the nine victims promptly.

"If not for our timely public exposure, the AFP would not have surfaced the victims," Rosal said.

He expressed fears that the AFP might be planning to summarily execute the "Mindoro 9."

Reference:
Anne Buenaventura
Media Officer
Cellphone Number: +63910-240-3553



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