Priests launch new human rights alliance, denounce killings and abuses

Redemptorist priests, together with individuals from different sectors, launch “Kilusang Artikulo 13” in Baclaran Church on Saturday to call on the government to respect life and human rights. INQUIRER.net/Jhoanna Ballaran

A day before the celebration of the International Human Rights Day, advocates launched on Saturday a new human rights group call on the government to respect life and human rights and stop extrajudicial killings.

Human rights advocates led by Redemptorist priests launched Kilusang Artikulo Trese (A.13) in Baclaran Church in Parañaque City to denounce extrajudicial killings and human rights abuses linked to the government’s deadly war against drugs.

“One life lost is one life too many. This enraging ‘War on the Poor’ has claimed the lives of 13,000 people, including some 50 children and youth,” said retired Caloocan Bishop Deogracias Iñiguez, convenor of A.13, in a prepared statement.

“Death leaves deep scars in the hearts of their loved ones left behind. The murder of young people, such as Kian and Carl to name a few, are not only the most disgusting of felonies, but also revolting heinous crimes committed by scalawags in the ranks of law enforcers,” he added.

Iñiguez said Filipinos should take care of the Lord’s flock, “not slaughter them or feed them to the wolves.”

“Everyone deserves due process, even the most ruthless of criminals,” he emphasized.

Iñiguez also raised fear that the government’s termination of the peace process with the communists would increase the death toll of the deadly anti-illegal drug campaign.

“Tagging the group as terrorists would mean nothing if the root causes of rebellion such as poverty and injustice are not address,” he pointed out.

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A.13’s members include individuals from different sectors, including labor, women, youth, and urban poor. Its name refers to Article XIII of the 1987 Philippine Constitution entitled “Social Justice and Human Rights.”

The International Human Rights Day is celebrated every December 10 to commemorate the adoption and proclamation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights./au