US Embassy dispersal raised before PH gov’t-NDFP rights body

Minority alliance Sandugo has filed a complaint before the human rights monitoring body of the government and communist rebels against Manila police personnel involved in the violent dispersal in front of the US Embassy last week that left several protesters injured.

Sandugo lodged its complaint before the Joint Monitoring Committee (JMC) of the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP), a body formed through the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL) signed by both panels during the peace talks.

The JMC is monitoring the adherence of both parties to international standards on civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights amid ongoing peace negotiations.

“The recent case of police brutality at the US Embassy was a bloody crescendo in the continuing systematic attacks by police and military forces against national minorities,” Sandugo lead convenor Piya Macliing Malayao said in a statement.

“We call on the JMC to launch a comprehensive investigation of the US Embassy dispersal that will concretely hold the perpetrators accountable and unearth the deeper involvement of US imperialism in these fascist attacks,” said Malayao, one of those severely injured from the dispersal.

READ: Relieved MPD cops for US Embassy rally violent dispersal

The violent dispersal saw a police patrol vehicle running over some rallyists, who were protesting against foreign intervention and militarization. Saying that they were “provoked,” police denied deliberately hitting the protesters and alleged that they were trying to flip over the vehicle.

The Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process has called for an “immediate, thorough, and impartial” investigation of the dispersal, which it called “pure insanity.”

“No amount of justification can cover up for the harsh and bloody breakup of the rally. We will not condone these unjustifiable acts and we expect expeditious action,” the OPAPP said.

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Last week, the Communist Party of the Philippines urged the NDFP to bring up the incident to the government negotiating panel.

President Rodrigo Duterte also called for a probe on the incident, but explored the possibility that the police officer who rammed into protesters might have been under stress./rga

READ: CPP calls for probe on violent protest dispersal at US Embassy