Bayan to hold rally to mark martial law anniversary

Militant umbrella group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) is set to stage a rally on Wednesday, to mark the 44th anniversary of the martial law declaration and call for justice for the dictatorship’s victims.

In a statement released Monday, Bayan said it is also demanding for the release of political prisoners through an amnesty proclamation from President Rodrigo Duterte.

READ: Duterte to free political prisoners ahead of amnesty law—Bello

The rally will start from Welcome Rotonda in Quezon City and end at Mendiola Bridge in Manila.

“The release of political prisoners is a just demand. The practice of criminalizing political dissent, which was rampant during the Marcos dictatorship, remains even to this day,” Bayan secretary general Renato Reyes said in the statement.

“We believe that a general amnesty proclamation is very possible under the Duterte administration, given the already favorable climate created by the peace talks and given the growing demand for justice for all those unjustly detained by past regimes,” he said.

Reyes added that releasing political prisoners will “boost the ongoing peace talks” with the National Democratic Front (NDF), the political arm of the Communist Party of the Philippines and the New People’s Army.

The recent round of formal talks between the Philippine government and the NDF took place last August in Oslo, Norway. The next round of peace negotiations are expected to take place in October.

READ: 3 of 5 issues resolved in PH gov’t, NDF talks in Norway

Bayan also reiterated its opposition to the mounting number of summary executions linked to the Duterte administration’s anti-drug campaign, likening it to the abuses committed during the Marcos dictatorship.

Former political prisoners and martial law survivors are expected to attend the rally, along with other Bayan activists. Jaehwa Bernardo, Inquirer.net trainee/RAM