The shrine has been a mute witness to the pain and anguish of mothers, wives, children and other relatives who still feel the inhumanity of their loved ones' deprivation of liberty and multiple violations of human rights in the hands of their captors. That justice has been elusive and impunity is the order of the day are a reality they confront with hope never wanting.
Pandaigdigang Araw ng mga Desaparecidos
Ang sinumang inaresto, dinukot at palihim na ikinulong ay nanganganib ang buhay. Ito ay naglalagay sa kanya labas sa proteksyon ng batas. Ang ganitong sitwasyon ay maaaring magbubukas ng katakot-takot na paglabag ng iba pang karapatang pantao ng biktima katulad ng karapatan laban sa tortyur at karapatan sa buhay.
Anupa't kung ang may kagagawan ay mismong taong gubyerno na siyang dapat kumukupkop at nagtatanggol ng kanyang buhay, seguridad at kalayaan?
International Day of the Disappeared
(Run AGainst Enforced Disappearance)
We, the families of the disappeared and human rights advocates in the Philippines, gather today to commemorate the International Day of the Disappeared through our activity, Run Against Enforced Disappearance (RAGED).
We have RAGED that this day should never have been commemorated if only States around the world including all their instrumentalities had respected the human rights of their citizens.
We have RAGED that enforced disappearance is still being used as a repressive tool to stifle dissent and to silence political opposition. It is one of the cruelest forms of human rights violations. It violates practically all civil liberties and human rights including the right to life.
Joint Statement of AFAD and FIND On the Hunger Strike of Political Prisoners
The Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD) and the Families of Victims of Involuntary Disappearance (FIND) strongly urge the Philippine government to immediately release all political prisoners even as we lament the failure of President Benigno Simeon Aquino III to heed with dispatch the prisoners’ call for freedom. Prompt and favorable response by government could have averted the current hapless condition of the political prisoners who are now on the 19th day of their hunger strike.
We support the immediate enactment of the proposed Anti-Enforced or Involuntary Disappearance Act of 2011 and the signing and ratification by the Philippine Government of the United Nations International Convention for the Protection of all Persons from Enforced Disappearance (ICPAPED).
