MAY 23 DAY OF ACTION: LIFT MARTIAL LAW IN MINDANAO! JUSTICE FOR JEROME! NO TO DICTATORSHIP! YES TO DEMOCRACY!
May 23 marks the 1st anniversary of martial law in Mindanao, Philippines under the Duterte administration. Despite declaring that alleged ISIS rebels were contained in the city of Marawi last October 2017, the government has extended military rule until the end of 2018. Martial law has worsened the human rights situation in Mindanao, displacing almost half a million people and emboldening state forces to drop bombs and harass Muslim and indigenous communities. We call for the immediate lifting of martial law in Mindanao!
Jerome Aba, a Muslim activist from the Philippines invited by the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines US , Malaya Movementand church leaders across the US to speak on the human rights crisis in Mindanao, was denied entry in the San Francisco International airport last April 17th. For 28 hours, he was not given access to a lawyer and was physically and psychologically tortured, before being deported back to the Philippines. We call for justice for Jerome!
Furthermore, the recent ouster of Maria Lourdes Sereno as Supreme Court Chief Justice has eroded the remaining checks and balances in government, with Duterte having control of the legislative and judicial branches. We condemn this authoritarian move of the government. We say no to dictatorship and yes to democracy!
What You Can Do:
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Join local activities!
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Call your Philippine Consulate and the Philippine Embassy!
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Change your profile picture and share this image on social media! Tag Malaya Movement and use our hashtags #LiftMartialLaw and #Justice4Jerome.