Martial Law Must END not Extend!

December 12, 2018Reference: MalayaMovement@gmail.com Thousands of people around the world took to the streets in the Philippines and in the United States on December 10th to commemorate International Human Rights Day and to demand justice for the 23,000+ victims of President Duterte’s drug war on the poor, justice for those those killed in “collateral damage” by aerial bombardments and military attacks in Mawari City and in Mindanao in general, and to call for all political prisoners to be immediately released. Despite the people’s demands, two days later Philippine Congress approved Duterte’s request to extend martial law in Mindanao for another year also extended the suspension of the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus in the region, which would allow the government to arrest persons of interest without a warrant to December 31, 2019.Martial law has allowed Duterte and the United States to intensify military control over the whole island of Mindanao committing numerous human rights violations each day. According to human rights organization- Karapatan, martial law in Mindanao has forcibly displaced more than 432,380, more than 356,964 bombs have been dropped, at least 49 victims of extrajudicial killings in Mindanao, with an average of one victim killed every week since it was declared on May 23, 2017. Duterte declared martial law under the supposed threat of the terrorist group Maute group, but had already claimed soon after martial law was declared, and yet he did not lift it and instead has extended it 3 times now. At this rate we fear that he will formally extend martial law across the whole Philippines trampling on the democratic rights of the people and further enforcing his iron fist fascist rule over the whole country. Malaya Movement demands and immediate end to martial law in Mindanao, not an extension! We ask all government bodies to reconsider this decision for the sake of upholding the Filipino people’s democratic rights!  They are supposed to represent the people and instead they are backing the violent fascism of Duterte. We also demand the U.S. to cut all military aid to the Philippines due to the rampant human rights violations committed under this administration.  LIFT MARTIAL LAW NOW!STOP THE KILLINGS!SAY NO TO ANOTHER FASCIST DICTATORSHIP!STAND FOR DEMOCRACY!

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