AI - End Extrajudicial Killings in the Philippines

Amnesty International USA - AI - End Extrajudicial Killings in the Philippines

Dear ABC :

Early in the morning on July 31 last year, two political advocates, Dr. Constancio Claver and his wife Alyce Claver, along with their young daughter, were on their way to drop off their older daughters at school in Tabuk, Kalinga in the Northern Philippines. Two vans carrying unidentified assailants reportedly appeared on the sides of the highway and shot at their vehicle.

Dr Claver received multiple gunshot wounds and Alyce received four wounds to the neck, head, and shoulders. Their seven-year-old daughter was deeply traumatized by the event, and a female bystander was injured by stray bullets. Alyce died from the wounds.

Before the attack, Alyce had served as a member of the Bayan Muna (People First) political party, as had her husband and she had been active on behalf of indigenous peoples.

You can help put pressure to hold the perpetrators of this and other murders responsible.

In the past several years, unidentified assassins allegedly linked to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFN) or the Philippine National Police (PNP) have killed hundreds in the Philippines. These killings are occurring in an environment of growing judicial impunity.

Despite hundreds of deaths, the Philippine government has failed to convict individuals for these murders. The victims of these attacks have been mostly leftist political activists, human rights defenders, journalists, church leaders and others regarded as sympathetic to the communist movement by the authorities.

Please take a moment to urge your US representative in Congress to sign a letter that calls on Philippines President Gloria Macapagel Arroyo to take action to stop the violence.

Sincerely,

T. Kumar
Advocacy Director for Asia
Amnesty International USA


http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/c.jhKPIXPCIoE/b.2590179/k.C43E/Take_Action_Online/siteapps/advocacy/ActionItem.aspx?c=jhKPIXPCIoE&b=2590179&aid=9007&tr=y&auid=2853597