Dear friends,
The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is forwarding information from the Task Force Detainees of the Philippines (TFDP) on the illegal arrest and torture of Hadji Omar Ramalan, 50 and his wife Bairon, 36 in Maguindano. The military arbitrarily arrested them baselessly on suspicion of involvement in the January 4 bombing in Parang, Maguindanao and illegally detained and tortured them. Your urgent action is required to request the government of Philippines to take appropriate action to correct this matter immediately.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact TFDP.
Urgent Appeals Desk
Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC)
——————————————————-
Urgent Appeal
February 1, 2004
Dear Friends,
Illegal arrest, detention, and severe torture of a man on suspicion of involvement in January 4, 2004 bombing in Parang, Maguindanao, in Southern Philippines. The victim has been released from jail upon dismissal of his case but the perpetrators who illegally arrested, detained and tortured him remain unpunished.
Victims: Hadji Omar Ramalan, 50 and his wife Bairon, 36, both residents of Poblacion
Bacolod, Parang, Maguindanao.
Perpetrators: Elements of 64th Infantry Battalion based in Barangay Sarmiento, Matanog, Maguindanao, 3rd Infantry Battalion based in Bliss Nituan, Parang, Maguindanao and the Military Police of the 6th Infantry Division Philippine Army based in Camp Siongco, Awang, Cotabato City.
Places of Incident: Barangay Langkong and Sarmiento in Matanog and Bliss Nituan, Parang,
all in Maguindanao.
Dates of Incident: January 9-26, 2004
Motive: Suspected of masterminding the bombing that killed 22 people and wounded 81 others in Parang, Maguindanao on January 4, 2004.
Account of the Incident:
A Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) Commander under the 15-men council faction was arrested by elements of the 64th Infantry Battalion, Philippine Army at 9:00 a.m. on January 9, 2004 in Barangay Langkong, Matanog, Maguindanao allegedly involved in the January 4 bombing in Parang, Maguindanao.
Omar Ramalan, alias commander Bagi-bagi and his wife Bairon, were arrested at a checkpoint in Barangay Langkong Matanog, Maguindano while riding home on their motorcycle from Kapatagan, Lanao del Sur.
In an interview, Ramalan said around 10 soldiers belonging to the 64th IB wearing plain clothes flagged them down. Ramalan then started asking why they were being held but the soldiers tied his hands instead and brought them quickly to their headquarters in Barangay Sarmiento, Matanog. Ramalan said he and wife Bairon were told to ride on the motorcycle then followed by soldier vehicles to the headquarters.
Upon arrival, Ramalan asked an unnamed military official why he and his wife were arrested. The said official did not answer but later started asking them for their alleged involvement in the Parang bombing. Ramalan reasoned that he didn’t know anything about that and he was in Kapatagan that time. But the said official did not listen and they started taking pictures of Ramalan. Bairon was also held for questioning but strongly denied allegations that neither she nor husband had any involvement or personal knowledge of the bombing. The soldiers then searched the motorcycle they were driving during their arrest.
Moments later, the Ramalan couple was transferred to the 3rd Infantry Battalion headquarters in nearby Bliss Nituan, Parang, onboard the military’s personnel tank carrier (PTC) while other military vehicles were on convoy. Upon their arrival, the military started blindfolding Ramalan and his wife with a packaging tape while they were being turned over to the 3rd IB personnel. His wife, Bairon was later released by the military. Afterwards, Ramalan felt he was transferred to another vehicle heading to an unknown direction.
After several minutes of travel, Ramalan said they arrived at a place he didn’t know where. Several men started interrogating him. One asked him who were his companions in carrying out the bombing in Parang. But every time he denied involvement to they would harm him.
Ramalan was stripped of his clothes. The interrogators repeatedly forced him into admitting the bombing and that he was the owner of the motorcycle where the explosive was planted leaving some 22 people dead and scores wounded.
Ramalan said that while he was under the detention from January 9-12, 2004, he was tortured by the military by kicking, hitting with a hard object on the different parts of his body. He was also electrocuted and his fingers squeezed with bullets between them and forced to drink rum and something that tasted like urine. They likewise threatened him to be dumped into a canal and/or his sex organ fed to a dog. Ramalan said all he felt for four days was pain.
Ramalan was not given chance to take a bath and do personal hygiene, sleep well, eat good meal and take a rest while in custodial investigation. He was placed inside a secluded room naked and severely tortured several times. He only heard voices of his investigators. For our (4) successive days, Ramalan’s relatives did not know his whereabouts as they keep looking for him. It was only when Ramalan was turned over to jail that they found him.
On January 12, 2004 at 2:00 p.m., Ramalan was turned over to the jail of the Bureau of Correction in Cotabato City. It was only that time when Ramalan’s blindfold was removed. Ramalan found out later that it was the military police belonging to the 6th Infantry Division (ID) who turned him over to the jail. The military police accordingly did not leave until Ramalan’s blindfold was removed. At that time, Ramalan then took a chance to do his personal hygiene – eat well, rest and sleep.
The following day, January 13, 2004 in the morning, the military went back to the jail purposely to get Ramalan for further investigation. But the jail officers refused to turn him over back to them. On January 14, 2004,Ramalan underwent medical check up in the Cotabato City Regional Hospital with the help of his relative. The medical report confirms Ramalan was indeed tortured. The report disclosed he suffered abrasions on his nasal bridge, right and left ear, upper back, left and right wrists, both knees and hematoma on forehead.
On January 16, 2004, the TFDP staff tried to have an interview with Ramalan and his wife. But the couple was not yet ready at that time. We were likewise advised by the jail guards to be back the next day. The following day, January 17, 2004, the undersigned had an interview with the couple inside the jail. That time they revealed the ordeal they suffered in the hands of the military.
SUGGESTED ACTION:
Send letters, e-mails and faxes to the following addresses to call for a thorough investigation on the case and/or any forms of assistance to the victim and his family.
1. President, Republic of the Philippines
New Executive Bldg.
Malacanang Palace Compound
J. P. Laurel St.
San Miguel, Manila
PHILIPPINES
Cel#(+63) 919 8984622 / 917 8398462
Fax: (+63) 2 929 3968
E-mail: opnet@ops.gov.ph or kgma@yahoogroups.com
2. Secretary Simeon Datumanong
The Department of Justice (DOJ) Philippines
Department of National Defense
Camp Gen. Emelio Aguinaldo
Quezon City
PHILIPPINES
E-mail: osnd@philonline.com
3. Commissioner Purificacion Quisumbing
Commission on Human Rights
SAAC Bldg., Commonwealth Ave.
U.P. Complex, Diliman, Quezon City
PHILIPPINES
Fax: (+632) 929 0101/928 0848
E-mail: drpvq@chr.gov.ph
4. The Regional Director
Commission on Human Rights (CHR 12)
2nd Floor, Hadji Datu Usman Mampen Bldg.
Don Rufino Alonzo St.
Cotabato City
Tel: (+64) 421-6307/482-0384
5. Mr. Theo C. van Boven
Special Rapporteur on the Question of Torture
OHCHR-UNOG
8-14 Avenue de la Paix
1211 Geneva 10
SWITZERLAND
Fax: +41 22 917 9016
7. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
United Nations Office at Geneva
1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland
Fax: + 41 22 917 9011 / 9179174
SUGGESTED LETTER:
Dear Sir/Madam:
Re: Illegal detention and toture of Omar Ramalan and his wife Bairon by Elements of 64th IB and 3rd IB of the Philippine Army and Military Police of 6th Infantry Division in Camp Siongco, Awang, Cotabato City
I am writing to express our deepest concern over the case of Omar Ramalan. We are appealing for your office/organization to immediately intervene on this matter by conducting an independent and thorough investigation. We would appreciate any form of assistance and intervention on this case and/or to the victims.
Ramalan was illegally arrested, detained and was severely tortured for four days by the military while under tactical interrogation. He was deprived of legal rights only due to being suspected of criminal offense.
Sad to say, Ramalan was the latest victim of torture committed by the military belonging to the 6th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army in Southern Philippines.
It can be recalled that on April 9, 2003, the five suspects in the Davao bombings arrested in Cotabato also claimed they were tortured by military of same unit. Ramalan’s ordeal by the same perpetrators is very alarming.
On January 26, 2004, Ramalan was already released from jail due to insufficient evidence. However, despite Ramalan’s release and acquittal on the case, the perpetrators remained unpunished. Ramalan’s release is a manifestation that he is indeed innocent of the charges against him.
We are appealing for a thorough investigation on this case to give justice to the victim and punish those persons responsible.
Yours truly,
***
Please inform the undersigned thru emails,
danysunstar@yahoo.com, dreyes@tfdp.org, mindanaw@tfdp.org
Or postal mail at:
Task Force Detainees of the Philippines (TFDP)
Door No. 2, Guiapal Apartment
#38 Anacleto Badoy Street
Cotabato City
or call tel. No. (064) 421-33-82 / 09198791829
should you have any interventions made on the matter. We highly appreciate your best effort on this for the protection of human rights.
Thank you and more power.
Danilo A. Reyes
Regional Staff
West-Central Mindanao Region
Task Force Detainees of the Philippines (TFDP)
————————————————————
Thank you.
Urgent Appeals Programme
Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC)
