FILE PHOTO: Imelda Evangelista, 55, points to the spot where her son, Ariel Evangelista, and his wife, Chai Lemita-Evangelista, were shot dead by police officers in Barangay Calayo, Nasugbu, Batangas. The Evangelista couple was among the nine activists killed in simultaneous police-military raids in the Southern Luzon region on Sunday, March 7, 2021. INQUIRER/GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE
Rights watchdog Amnesty International (AI) on Wednesday expressed deep concern about the dismissal of murder charges against 17 police officers implicated in the so-called Bloody Sunday killings of nine activists in March 2021 under the Duterte administration.
The London-based non-governmental organization (NGO) called on Philippine authorities to ensure “thorough, independent and impartial investigations” of the series of raids in Cavite, Laguna, Batangas and Rizal provinces that led to the deaths of labor leader Emmanuel Asuncion and eight other advocates for rural and indigenous sectors.
“Amnesty International believes the deadly raids were politically motivated, targeting leaders and members of groups that have been ‘Red-tagged’ or accused of links with communist groups,” the NGO said.
“The ‘Bloody Sunday’ killings happened just two days after former President Rodrigo Duterte ordered security forces to ‘kill’ and ‘finish off’ communist rebels, and to ‘forget about human rights,’” AI said.
In a decision made public only this month, Department of Justice (DOJ) prosecutors junked the murder complaint filed by Asuncion’s widow, Liezel, against the policemen for “insufficiency of evidence.”
Widow’s appeal
Though it was dated Oct. 15, 2022, the DOJ resolution was received by the widow on Jan. 16.The DOJ resolution noted that the complainant had failed to identify her late husband’s killers who were wearing ski masks and that the simultaneous operations carried out by law enforcers had been “legitimate.”
On Thursday, Liezel appealed the DOJ resolution in a 27-page motion filed through the Free Legal Assistance Group and the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers.
The complainant argued that positive identification was possible even in the absence of eyewitnesses or direct proof, adding that the evidence on record was enough to establish probable cause that the respondents had committed murder.
Her motion argued that it was a case of murder as the policemen had “acted with treachery and abuse of superior strength, evident premeditation, and that they conspired with one another.”
“The fact is that nine unarmed activists were summarily killed on the same date and almost the same time, within minutes of purportedly serving the search warrant issued by the same Vice-Executive Judges of the same court, on exact same charges,” the motion read in part.
In a separate motion, Liezel asked Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Rodan Parrocha, who heads the DOJ panel, to recuse himself from the case, as he is also in charge of the Counter-Terrorism Task Force of the National Prosecution Service, which prosecutes suspended and alleged members of communist-terrorist groups (CTGs.)
‘Nanlaban’ cases
“Considering that complainant’s husband … was targeted under the [operation] that was devised to neutralize and impair the alleged criminal operation of suspected members of CTGs, this taints the impartiality of the head of the panel of prosecutors from objectively considering the evidence presented by both parties,” it read in part.
Asuncion, a mass organizer of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) in Cavite province, was shot dead by policemen as they were serving the warrant at Bayan’s Workers’ Assistance Center in Dasmariñas City on March 7, 2021.
Also killed on the same day under similar circumstances in the Calabarzon region were brothers Abner and Edward Esto, Mark Lee Bacasno and Michael Dasigao, all of San Isidro Kasiglahan, Kapatiran at Damayan para sa Kabuhayan, Katarungan at Kapayapaan; fisherfolk couple Chai and Ariel Evangelista of Ugnayan ng Mamamayan Laban sa Pagwawasak ng Kalikasan at Kalupaan; and farmer and indigenous peoples’ rights advocates cousins Puroy and Randy dela Cruz.
The arresting officers claimed that the activists had fought back—or “nanlaban,” a Filipino word often used by authorities to describe resisting arrest that led to the suspect being gunned down—when they were serving the search warrant.
According to AI, the manner in which Asuncion was killed “resembled the way in which thousands of people have been killed during antidrug operations, in which the police targets were killed by the police allegedly for ‘fighting back.’”
The international NGO also voiced concern regarding recent incidents involving other activists who were either abducted or killed allegedly by state forces.
Under Marcos admin
The group cited the Jan. 10 abduction of Cebu-based activist leaders Dyan Gumanao and Armand Dayoha, who were freed after six days, as well as the November 2022 killings of activists Ericson Acosta and Joseph Jimenez in Negros Occidental.AI noted that these events took place months after President Marcos assumed office, suggesting that the new administration was carrying on its predecessor’s bloody legacy.
In the case of Acosta and Jimenez, who were accused by the military of clashing with Army troopers, AI stressed that it was not aware of any investigation that was looking into their deaths.
“We also urge the Marcos administration to take all necessary measures to end the escalating harassment, intimidation and attacks against activists and human rights defenders,” AI said.