Abadilla 5

The well known case of Abadilla Five came before the Court of Appeals for decision after almost nine years. The appeal was on the judgment of Regional Trial Court (RTC) of Quezon City, Branch 103, which found the five accused guilty on August 1999. Shortly after the judgment of Regional Trial Court (RTC) the Alex […]

(Hong Kong, March 27, 2008) The Asian Human Rights Commission on Wednesday has sought the intervention of a Catholic bishop in the case of an ailing detainee, one of the Abadilla Five, who fears for his life due to the inability of the authorities to provide medical assistance. Basil Fernando, AHRC executive director, had asked […]

In July 1996, the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) concluded that it had found sufficient evidence to prosecute the 21 individuals, 15 of whom were police officers, involved in arresting and subsequently detaining the “Abadilla Five”. In their resolution, the CHR obtained medical evidence and testimonies detailing torture of the victims while in police custody […]

In March 2006, the legal counsel for two of the five prisoners known as the Abadilla Fivesubmitted a complaint to the United Nations Human Rights Committee under the Optional Protocol of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). In their complaint, they cited that the Philippine government had violated its obligation under the ICCPR, […]

(Hong Kong, January 22, 2008) The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) today is calling upon the justice of an appellate court reviewing the sentences of five prisoners to make his decision before he retires. The prisoners have been in jail for a decade. Eight justices were earlier designated to review the sentence; however, the mandatory […]

In August 1999, five men, known as the “Abadilla Five”, received the death sentence by a Regional Trial Court (RTC) in Quezon City, Manila for the murder of an influential police colonel, Rolando Abadilla. The five men were arrested, charged and convicted three years later for the murder of Abadilla in June 1996. After they […]

On June 15, yet more civilians were killed when a person carrying an improvised explosive device (IED) left it to explode in a bus in a crowded public terminal in Bansalan, Davao del Sur. The explosion was so strong that it rocked the place, killed two persons instantly and wounded others; some died later in […]

Torture victims in the Philippines have suffered from the physical and mental pain inflicted on them by those who have mercilessly tortured them and have suffered a second time from the lack of a law criminalising torture. For years, torture victims in the country have been waiting for redress and a legal tool they can […]

Dear friends, The AHRC writes to inform you of yet another delay in the intermediate review of the death sentences of five men, known as the “Abadilla 5”, by the Court of Appeals (CA). In our previous appeal we mentioned that for over two years, the CA has failed to make its decision due to […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) writes with deep concern regarding the continued failure of the Supreme Court (SC) to review the case of five men, known as the “Abadilla 5”, who were sentenced to death by a local court eight years ago. The five men were sentenced for the murder of an […]