The redoubtable Court of Appeals has done it again – dismissing another amparo petition which in effect condones impunity, says the human rights umbrella Karapatan.
"The dismissal of the petition for the writ of amparo for NBN-ZTE star witness Jun Lozada is unjust," said Ruth Cervantes, Public Information Officer of Karapatan.
"What made it despicable is the CA justices’ glaring omission of the fact that the threat on Mr. Lozada’s life stems from the other fact that he is a thorn on the side of this corrupt government," said Cervantes.
Karapatan reiterated that Mr. Lozada is not merely a victim of kidnapping. His case falls into what the United Nations refers to as an enforced disappearance, "the arrest, detention, abduction or any other form of deprivation of liberty by agents of the State or by persons or groups of persons acting with the authorization, support or acquiescence of the State, followed by a refusal to acknowledge the deprivation of liberty or by concealment of the fate or whereabouts of the disappeared person, which place such a person outside the protection of the law."
The redoubtable Court of Appeals has done it again – dismissing another amparo petition which in effect condones impunity, says the human rights umbrella Karapatan.
"The dismissal of the petition for the writ of amparo for NBN-ZTE star witness Jun Lozada is unjust," said Ruth Cervantes, Public Information Officer of Karapatan.
"What made it despicable is the CA justices’ glaring omission of the fact that the threat on Mr. Lozada’s life stems from the other fact that he is a thorn on the side of this corrupt government," said Cervantes.
Karapatan reiterated that Mr. Lozada is not merely a victim of kidnapping. His case falls into what the United Nations refers to as an enforced disappearance, "the arrest, detention, abduction or any other form of deprivation of liberty by agents of the State or by persons or groups of persons acting with the authorization, support or acquiescence of the State, followed by a refusal to acknowledge the deprivation of liberty or by concealment of the fate or whereabouts of the disappeared person, which place such a person outside the protection of the law."
If the CA has bothered to look into the definition of the International Convention on the Protection of All Persons, they would find that it happened to Mr, Lozada and his family is justified to seek protection from the court.
The rights group said "It is such a shame that the remedy being touted by the Supreme Court to be resorted to by victims of state abuse is made inutile by the CA."
Karapatan also said that Chief presidential legal counsel Sergio Apostol’s demand for an apology from Lozada and the threats to file charges against him is proof that perpetrators are celebrating in the CA decision.
"It only goes to show, that CA is not only a haven for the corrupt but also an inutile institution for justice."
"As Malacañang gloats in its contrived victory, victims of illegal arrest and torture resulting from ‘invitations’ continue to increase," Cervantes concluded.#