Make the government accountable for authoritarian adventurism, CHR urged

The Commission on Human Rights started it’s hearing for the complaint we filed against the PNP. Read below our press release:

AKBAYAN Rep. Risa Hontiveros urged today the Commission on Human Rights to determine the full extent of the government’s accountability over its draconian policies, as the commission begins its investigation on PNP’s illegal arrests during a Women’s Day rally. Rep. Hontiveros said that the government’s recent pronouncements on the validity of its dictatorial actions after an alleged coup attempt gives the CHR a good chance to slap the wrist of Malacañang and hopefully clip its authoritarian adventurism.

Rep. Hontiveros and Joshua Mata, a leader of the Alliance for Progressive Labor, was illegally arrested and detained by the Philippine National Police during the Women’s Day rally last March 8, 2006.

“The PNP violated a string of human rights guarantees when they arrested us. They violated the Philippine Constitution, the International Convention of Civil and Political Rights, the Revised Penal Code, and even BP 880. If we allow them to get off the hook, nothing would prevent them from committing further human rights abuses,” Rep. Hontiveros warned.

She also urged the commission to act with urgency on the complaint. “We expect the government to use convoluted reasoning again to quell street protests during President GMA’s SONA. They have already made a fabulous fairy tale about the alleged plan to kidnap the President and capture the entire House of Representatives. They are once again re-creating a climate of fear to rationalize violent dispersals again,” Rep. Hontiveros added.

The solon disclosed that the possibility of yet another invitation from the PNP doesn’t daunt her. “With or without any invitation from the police on July 24, 2006, they should expect AKBAYAN representatives to be in the streets – to listen to the real State of the Nation (SONA),” Rep. Hontiveros said.