Forums de l'ASSÉ

Désolé, je n'ai pas eu le temps de traduire ce communiqué en langue française. On y rapporte une intervention policière musclée et l'arrestation de six militantEs lors d'une récente manifestation étudiante à Manille.

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URGENT APPEAL

UA Title: STUDENTS HURT, ARRESTED AND DETAINED IN A DEMONSTRATION

UA CASE: ASSUALT, ARBITRARY ARREST AND UNJUST DETENTION OF STUDENTS, MANILA, PHILIPPINES

VICTIM/S:
1. Joanna Rose Adenit, female, 22 years old, member Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT)
2. Emman Montano, male, 22 years old, member Alliance of Concerned Teachers
3. Crimson Laglera, male, 19 years old, member ANAKBAYAN-Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP)
4. Arlo Cervantes, male, 24 years old, member League of Filipino Students-University of the Philippines Diliman
5. Vik del Rosario, male, 22 years old, ANAKBAYAN-Caloocan
6. Alvin Cerrano, male, 17 years old, member League of Filipino Students

Place of Incident: Kalaw St. corner Orosa St., Manila

Date and time of incident: January 31, 2008, around 11 a.m.

Alleged Perpetrators: Members of the Manila Police District anti-riot police, belonging to the Civil Disturbance Management Unit of the District Mobile Force led by Col. Alintog and Col. Rosales.

Incident Summary:

At around 10:30 a.m. on January 31, around 30 persons peacefully assembled at thecorner of the A. Bonifacio Avenue, near the Manila Hotel and unfurled banners crticizing the two-day Education Summit called by President Arroyo.

Without a negotiation , the police confiscated their rally materials and dispersed the group. The protesters retreated to Luneta Park and joined by around 150 more youth and students belonging to the National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP), College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP), Student Christian Movement of the Philippines (SCMP), League of Filipino Students (LFS), ANAKBAYAN, KABATAANG PINOY and Alliance of Concerned Teachers.

The group then immediately held a peaceful program in Luneta Park, which is considered a Freedom Park, where speakers aired the demands for higher state subsidy to education, stoppage of budget cuts to state universities and colleges, call to end commercialization of education and better programs in the education sector. The group criticized the government for its general thrust of privitizing and commercializing education and the non-inclusion of students and teachers demands in the Education Summit called by the government.
The second speaker just started who was supposed to call for the end of the demonstration and organized voluntary dispersal of the group, when suddenly the MPD police arrived in the park and started hitting everyone using their truncheons. The police chased the protesters and cornered some at the Kalaw St., corner Orosa St. The other policemen wore no nameplates but was led by Col. Alintog

Six were arrested and most of them injured, including Alvin Cerrano, a minor. They were later on shoved unto the police car and brought to the Ospital ng Maynila for medico-legal. Vik del Rosario sustained wounds in his head and nape, and others have bruises on other parts of their body. Around 23 others of the protesters were also injured.

From the hospital, the arresting officers brought them to the MPD Headquarters and unjustly detained the students. The police did not explain to them their Miranda Rights.

Meanwhile, the rest of the group staged a picket-rally outside the MPD Headqurters at around 2:00 p.m of January 31 to demand the immediate release of the six. Cerrano was the only one released, the rest were filed a case for violating BP 880 or the "No Permit, No Rally' policy.

The five youth and students are still detained at this moment.

RECOMMENDED ACTION:

Send letters/ fax messages calling :

1. Release of five students arbitrarily arrested and unjustly detained by the Manila Police Diastrict.
2. Investigation and prosecution of the police elements and comanding officer who were involved in the violent dispersal and arbitrary arrests.

3. The Philippine Government to be reminded that it is a signatory to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and that it is also a party to all the major Human Rights instruments, thus it is bound to observe all of these instruments' provisions.

You may send your communications to:

H.E. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
President of the Republic
Malacanang Palace,
JP Laurel St., San Miguel
Manila Philippines
Voice: (+632) 564 1451 to 80
Fax: (+632) 742-1641 / 929-3968
Cell#: (+ 63) 919 898 4622 / (+63) 917 839 8462
E-mail: corres@op.gov.ph / opnet@ops.gov.ph

Director General Oscar Calderon
Chief, Philippine National Police (PNP)
Camp General Rafael Crame
Quezon City
PHILIPPINES
Tel: +63 2 726 4361/4366/8763
Fax: +63 2724 8763
Email: bluetree73@gmail.com

Hon. Purificacion Valera Quisumbing
Chairperson, Commission on Human Rights
SAAC Bldg., UP Complex
Commonwealth Avenue
Diliman, Quezon City
Philippines
Fax: (+632) 929 0102

Email: drpvq@chr.gov.ph

Hon. Raul M. Gonzalez
Secretary, Department of Justice
Padre Faura St., Manila
Direct Line 521-8344; 5213721
Trunkline 523-84-81 loc.214
Fax: (+632) 521-1614
Email sad@doj.gov.ph

Jesus D. Dureza
Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process
*Office of the Peace Process
7th Floor Agustin Building I
Emerald Avenue
Pasig City 1605
Voice:+63 (2) 636 0701 to 066
Mobile:
Fax:+63 (2) 635 9579
osec@opapp.gov.ph

Mr. Ambeyi Ligabo
Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression
C/o OHCHR-UNOG
1211 Geneva 10
SWITZERLAND
Tel: +41 22 917 9177
Fax: +41 22 917 9006 (ATTN: SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION)

Ms. Hina Jilani
Special Representative of the Secretary General for human rights defenders
Room 1-040
C/o OHCHR-UNOG
1211 Geneva 10
SWITZERLAND
Tel: +41 22 917 93 88
Fax: +41 22 917 9006 (ATTN: SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS)

Thank you.
Please send us a copy of your email/mail/fax to the said government official to our address below.

Prepared by:

TANGGULAN Youth Network for Human Rights and Civil Liberties,
879 NCCP, Epifanio de los Santos Ave., Quezon City, 1100.
Email: tanggulanyouth@yahoo.com