Human rights group Karapatan today asserted that, “the issue of extrajudicial killings (EJKs) is not a numbers game,” in reaction to Malacañang’s statement that disputed Karapatan’s documentation of 64 victims of EJKs under the Aquino administration.
Human rights group Karapatan today asserted that, “the issue of extrajudicial killings (EJKs) is not a numbers game,” in reaction to Malacañang’s statement that disputed Karapatan’s documentation of 64 victims of EJKs under the Aquino administration.
“The victims are real people who have families who grieve and suffer for the loss of their loved ones. The issue should not be reduced to which group recorded the most or the least number of EJK cases as Abegail Valte said. The prevalence of extrajudicial killings up to the present administration is worrisome enough,” said Jigs Clamor, deputy secretary general of Karapatan.
“If the government has no tolerance for extrajudicial killings and it is its policy, then it must explain why the killings still continue under the P-Noy administration,” added Clamor. Karapatan said that by simple averaging, there is one case of EJK every week.
Karapatan, in its 2011 Human Rights Report presented in a public forum last December 2, said that the killings under the Aquino administration continue unabated. “No matter how the government downplays the cases of human rights violations, it cannot escape the fact that impunity and injustice prevail. From the killing of Fernando Baldomero, five days after P-Noy assumed presidency, to the killing of Fr. Pops Tentorio and Ramon Batoy in Arakan Valley, the cases of extrajudicial killings remain unresolved,” said Clamor.
Karapatan said that Malacanang’s attitude towards human rights violations is consistent.“Malacanang’s attitude is to deny rights violations, in the same way it denied the existence of political prisoners who are in various jails in the country, including the 78 who were arrested and detained under this administration,” added Clamor.
“The government’s denial and condemnation of human rights violations cannot cover up the fact that violations and impunity are tolerated. As long as its counter-insurgency program Oplan Bayanihan perpetuates the same kind of state terror and militarism, such violations continue,” concluded Clamor. ###