Dear friends,
The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) deeply regrets to inform you that the husband of a political activist, Usman Ali (40), was shot dead at a public market in Pikit, North Cotabato on 7 May 2007. Ali’s wife, Babai (43), is the leader of Suara Bangsamoro, a political party for Muslim minorities seeking sectoral representation in Congress. In another incident on May 6, two of Babais colleagues were also reportedly harassed and intimidated allegedly by military men in Malita, Davao del Sur.
CASE DETAILS:
According to information from various sources, including davaotoday.com, an alternative news organization, it was in the morning of May 7 when unidentified men shot Ali in the back of his head at the public market. At the time of his death, Ali was the acting principal of the Dunguan Elementary School in Pagalungan.
It is believed that Ali’s killing could have been related to his wife’s involvement in political activities, and the alleged continuing effort by security forces to allegedly discredit their organization.
Ali’s killing is the latest incident of extra-judicial killings all over the country. It is reported that prior to Ali’s killing, some of the party’s leaders and volunteers have also had experience of being harassed allegedly by the military in remote areas. The harassment took place a day prior to attack on Ali.
According to a reliable source, on May 6, two of the party’s volunteers, namely Arnel Soliman, second district coordinator in Davao del Sur and his colleague Nestor Sobricarey, were briefly held for questioning after the military reportedly entered into their office in Malita, Davao del Sur, Southern Mindanao. It is reported that the six military men responsible for incident were allegedly attached to the 66th Infantry Battalion, Philippine Army, headed by Lt. Payumo.
The two victims were allegedly questioned by the military as to who their party’s leaders were and the reason why are they campaigning in Malita. They also accused them of being frontmen for an illegal armed group. The soldiers likewise took photographs of the two victims while they were subjected to questioning.
According to the information we have received, it has been believed that that Ali’s killing and the harassment perpetrated against their party could be part of the security forces’ action to intimidate and harass them. The group is reportedly considering of filing formal complaints about these incidents.
It is also reported that following Ali’s killing, the residents in their area have now reportedly started to evacuate after receiving reports that the soldiers have begun entering in Pikit and in nearby areas. The municipality of Pikit in North Cotabato is one of the many towns in Central Mindanao where clashes between illegal armed group and security forces frequently take place.
Finally, to see more about the individual cases of extrajudicial killings in the Philippines that the AHRC has reported through our Urgent Appeal, visit our Philippines web site at http://www.pinoyhr.net/
Please also refer to the latest issue of Article 2, vol.6, no. 1, February 2007, SPECIAL REPORT: THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM OF THE PHILIPPINES IS ROTTEN, a bimonthly publication from the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC), a sister organization of the AHRC.
SUGGESTED ACTION:
Please write letters to the concerned agencies below requesting for their immediate intervention to ensure that Usman Ali’s killing is properly investigated. The authorities must likewise look into the alleged harassment and intimidation allegedly by the military against two of the group’s members in another incident. There should be immediate sanction imposed against those security forces involved without delay.
To support this case, please click here: SEND APPEAL LETTER
SAMPLE LETTER
Dear ________,
PHILIPPINES: Husband of a political activist shot dead in Mindanao
Case 1:
Name of the victim killed: Usman Ali, the husband of political activist Babai (43). Babai is a leader of a political party Suara Bangsamoro
Alleged perpetrator/s: Unidentified armed men
Place of incident: At the public market in Pikit, North Cotabato, Mindanao
Date of incident: In the morning of 7 May 2007
Case 2:
Name of victims harassed:
1. Arnel Soliman, second district coordinator for Suara Bangsamoro in Davao del Sur
2. Nestor Sobricarey, volunteer
Alleged perpetrators: Six men allegedly attached to the 66th Infantry Battalion, Philippine Army headed by a certain Lt. Payumo
Place of incident: At the group’s office in Malita, Davao del Sur
Date of incident: At around 4:00pm on 6 May 2007
I am writing to draw your attention into the killing of Usman Ali, husband of a political activist Babai on 7 May 2007, and the alleged harassment by the military against two of Babai’s colleagues in a separate incident. I have learned that Ali was shot dead by unidentified gunmen at the public market in Pikit, North Cotabato. He suffered fatal gunshot wound to his head.
At the time of his death, Ali was the acting school principal of Dunguan Elementary School in Pagalungan, North Cotabato. According to a reliable source, Ali’s killing could have been related to that of his wife’s activity as leader of the party, Suara Bangsamoro, in their locality. I have learned that Babais political party had been the object of harassment and intimidation in recent times.
Prior to Ali’s killing, I have also learned that two of Babai’s colleagues, namely Arnel Soliman and Nestor Sobricarey, the party’s second district coordinator and volunteer respectively based in Malita, Davao del Sur, have allegedly been harassed and intimidated by six military men. It is reported that the soldiers, believed to be attached to the 66th Infantry Battalion, Philippine Army, barged into the victims’ office and subjected them for questioning. According to the information, the soldiers are questioning the two for holding campaigns in the area. They likewise accused them and their group as fronts of an illegal armed group.
I am extremely disturbed by these two separate incidents, in particular the killing of Usman Ali. I am likewise disappointed of the alleged harassment by the military against this group, which violate the latter’s right to exercise political freedom and for participating in a legitimate electoral process representing the minorities. This is a serious threat to the citizen’s civil and political rights should this incident be to continue. Therefore, I urge you to ensure that this incident is properly investigated and to ensure that those involved are held responsible without delay.
Also, I urge you to take immediate steps to consider the provision of protection to Ali’s wife and her colleagues without delay to ensure their safety and security. Immediate measures must also be taken to prevent similar incidents from taking place. It is the government’s responsibility to protect the lives of these citizens, in particular that they belong to the Muslim minorities. They must be allowed to exercise their right to participate in electoral process with adequate safety and protection and fear of being persecuted and harassed.
I trust that you will take immediate action in these cases.
Yours sincerely,
——————-
PLEASE SEND YOUR LETTER TO:
1. Mrs. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
President
Republic of the Philippines
Malacanang Palace
JP Laurel Street, San Miguel
Manila 1005
PHILIPPINES
Fax: +63 2 736 1010
Tel: +63 2 735 6201 / 564 1451 to 80
2. Ms. Purificacion Quisumbing
Commissioner
Commission on Human Rights
SAAC Bldg., Commonwealth Avenue
U.P. Complex, Diliman
Quezon City
PHILIPPINES
Tel: +63 2 928 5655 / 926 6188
Fax: +63 2 929 0102
Email: drpvq@yahoo.com
3. 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
4. Mr. Raul Gonzalez
Secretary
Department of Justice
DOJ Bldg., Padre Faura
1004 Manila
PHILIPPINES
Fax: +63 2 521 1614
5. Mr. Orlando Casimiro
Deputy Ombudsman
Office of the Deputy Ombudsman for the Military and Other Law Enforcement Offices
3rd Floor, Ombudsman Bldg., Agham Road, Diliman
1104 Quezon City
PHILIPPINES
Tel: +632 926 9032
Fax: +63 2 926 8747
Email: omb1@ombudsman.gov.ph
6. Gen. Hermogenes Ebdane
Secretary
Department of National Defence
Room 301, DND Building
Camp Emilio Aguinaldo
E. De los Santos Avenue
Quezon City
PHILIPPINES
Fax: +63 2 911 6213
Email: osnd@philonline.com
7. Mr. Philip Alston
Special Rapporteur on Extra-judicial, Summary, or Arbitrary Executions
Atten: Lydie Ventre
Room 3-016
OHCHR-UNOG
1211 Geneva 10
SWITZERLAND
Tel: +41 22 917 9155
Fax: +41 22 917 9006 (general)
8. Ms. Hina Jilani
Special Representative of the Secretary General for human rights defenders
Attn: Melinda Ching Simon
Room 1-040
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.
Urgent Appeals Programme
Asian Human Rights Commission (ahrchk@ahrchk.org)
