Philippines: A spate of violence against three human rights defenders

On 12 April 2007, in Iloilo province, the Philippines, unidentified gunmen ambushed the car in which three human rights defenders were travelling, leaving one man seriously injured.

Reportedly, the gunmen opened fire at the pick-up and then dragged Nilo Arado and Maria Luisa Posa-Dominado to their van and drove off. Jose Ely Garachico was taken to a hospital in Iloilo city where he remains in a critical condition awaiting an operation to remove a bullet, which is lodged in his chest. The pick-up used in the abduction of Nilo Arado and Maria Luisa Posa-Dominado was reportedly found in a burned-out state in a secluded area in Barangay Guadalupe, Janiuay, and 30kms northwest of Iloilo City.

Nilo Arado, is a member of the Peasant Movement of the Philippines and Chair of Bayan - Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, an alliance of human rights organisations which promote and defend the rights of peasants, workers, women, students and minorities. Maria Luisa Posa-Dominado is an active campaigner for women's rights and a member of Selda, the Society of Ex-Detainees for Liberation, Against Detention and for Amnesty. Jose Ely Garachico is Secretary-General of Karapatan-Panay, the Panay branch of a coalition of more than forty human rights organisations in the Philippines.

Front Line believe these violent attacks against the three human rights defenders constitutes an act of reprisal following the country visit of the UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial and Summary Executions, Philip Alston, to the Philippines in February this year.

Front Line urges the authorities in Philippines to Carry out immediate, thorough and impartial investigations into the whereabouts of Nilo Arado and Maria Luisa Posa-Dominado and into the shooting of Jose Ely Garachico. Front Line also calls on the authorities to Launch a full and independent inquiries into all the alleged abductions, shootings and extrajudicial killings that have occurred to date, and take action to prevent further attacks on human rights defenders.