Lolita Abril urged the CHR to conduct an independent investigation into the killing of her husband Ronel Abril and another coconut farmer Roger Clores last September 26. The two were allegedly killed by elements of the 2nd Infantry Battalion (2nd IB) in an “armed encounter.”
“These reports included military encampments near the farming communities, coercion to sign documents of disaffiliation, forced surrenders, and the profiling of farmer-residents, who were threatened with arrest and abduction if they refused to cooperate,” said KMP.
“The four men were forced to strip off their shirts. Along with [Hannah] Cesista, they were forced to roll in the mud. The witnesses said they were pleading with state forces to stop their inhumane acts but to no avail.”
Under Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions, hors de combat (incapacitated combatants/out of fight) either through sickness, wounds, detention, or any other cause, shall be treated humanely.
The responsibility to observe IHL lies in the Philippine government because they are the duty-bearers. In the human rights framework, the duty-bearers are accountable to the people and have the responsibility to respect, protect, and fulfill human rights. Rights violations committed by the state can be classified into two: [1] Commission as direct violators, and [2] Omission which is more similar to state neglect.
“Indiscriminate aerial bombing is disallowed under IHL because it violates the basic principles of the means and methods of warfare and the objects or subjects of attack in an armed conflict.”
“Men have not been able to go back to the farm and our children are already starving, all because we are prohibited to continue our only livelihood in our farms in the mountains,” Capinlac said in Filipino.
“While no words can truly console Kuni’s family, we stand in unwavering solidarity with them and all Lumad people fighting for their children’s right to education amidst escalating violence, militarization, and impunity in their ancestral lands,” said SOS Network, demanding justice for Kuni, his family, and all victims of Lumad killings.
In the situation report of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), a total of 3,633 families or 12,814 persons were affected in 14 barangays in Dipaculao and Maria Aurora, Aurora.
“The willful killing of Peralta by the military, who was unarmed at the time of her arrest, is a war crime that can never be justified under any circumstance. This is a blatant violation of (the IHL),” GABRIELA secretary general Clarice Palce said in a separate statement.
“These bombings, which have been described by locals as overkill, are not only a gross violation of human rights but also a reckless display of force.”