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Rights group urges Philippines government to end martial law

By Bernard Hibbitts (editor) and University of Pittsburgh School of Law students.

[JURIST] Amnesty International (AI) on Tuesday urged Philippine authorities to establish a timetable to end the martial law declared in its southern province of Maguindanao and to dismantle paramilitary groups throughout the nation. Philippines President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo imposed martial law and suspended habeas corpus last week in response to instability in the province following a politically motivated attack that left 57 dead last month. The powerful Apmatuan clan, which has dominated the province for the better part of the last decade, was blamed for the massacre, and martial law has allowed government forces to arrest members of the clan without warrants and to force many of their armed supporters to forfeit their weapons. AI has called on the president to revoke or amend the order, stressing that, "ey human rights, including the right to challenge the legality of detention, must not be violated or restricted under any circumstances." Since the institution of martial law, AI has not found any evidence of serious human rights violations, but some 70 arrests have been made without warrants and the heightened military presence has led to the displacement of more than 2,000 residents. The Congress of the Philippines is set to review the proclamation imposing military law on Wednesday and decide whether to support the move by a majority vote. On Monday, the National Union of People's Lawyers (NUPL) and other groups petitioned the Philippines Supreme Court to reject the president's proclamation imposing martial law. The groups claim that Arroyo exceeded her constitutional authority to impose martial law by making the proclamation in the absence of either a rebellion or invasion, the two circumstances in which martial law is allowed under Article VII Section 18 of the Philippine Constitution. The court has called on the government to issue a response to the petitions within five days.

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on December 08, 2009 (boomark / email).