KARAPATAN
Alliance for the Advancement of People’s Rights
43 Masikap St., Barangay Pinyahan, Quezon City 1100, PHILIPPINES
telefax# (632) 928-60-78 / 435-41-46
• E-mail: [email protected] / [email protected] • website: www.karapatan.org

21 April 2004

STATEMENT OF SUPPORT FOR HARRASSED ILPS ACTIVIST ALIYA ELISABETH BRUNNER

KARAPATAN or the Alliance for the Advancement of People’s Rights, a progressive human rights alliance in the Philippines, strongly condemns the recent abduction and attack on IAPL member and ILPS activist Aliya Elisabeth Brunner last April 18, 2004 by the Tuzla civil police. She was on her way to the Tuzla trade-union office when the incident happened.

This vicious act is a clear human rights violation against Ms. Brunner who is a staunch anti-imperialist activist.

Recent news of the arrest of 50 people in Turkey, The Netherlands, Italy, Belgium and Germany as well as the raid of the “Idil cultural center”, Association for Basic Rights and Liberties, Voice of Anatolia Radio, “ People’s Voice” magazine, People’s Law Legal Center, “Group Yorum” and the weekly magazine “Ekmek ve Adalet” (Bread and Justice) which have also resulted to the arrest of 23 other individuals have caused alarm for the growing anti-imperialist movements in these countries.

The violent act against Ms. Brunner is the latest of attacks we are witnessing against the progressive peoples’ organizations that are actively campaigning against the implementation of imperialist policies that bring about so much exploitation and oppression in the world.

In the Philippines, members of progressive organizations are being subjected to the same experience as that of Ms. Brunner. The Philippine security forces has been unleashing state terrorism against members of progressive people’s organizations. State terror comes in the form of illegal arrest, abductions and disappearances and killings. The latest attack on April 21, 2004 was foisted on Ronald Ian Evidente, who was arbitrarily arrested and detained. Ronald Ian is one of the nominees of the Partylist group called Anak ng Bayan (Children of the People), a progressive people’s party participating in the Philippine elections on May 10, 2004. Ronald Ian is also currently the Vice-Chairperson of Bayan-Negros.

The local police (Philippine National Police – PNP) arrested him and accused him of the unbailable crime of murder. He is currently detained at the Dumaguete Police Command in Negros Occidental. The charges are clearly trumped up as Mr. Evidente has been a known activist in the province.

Anak ng Bayan (Children of the People) is a Partylist group currently running for a seat in the Philippine House of Representatives, while BAYAN or Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (New Patriotic Alliance) is the umbrella organization of various sectoral and people’s organizations. Both are similarly campaigning against the pro-imperialist support of the current administration.

The anti-imperialist movement is surely growing by the day and this development is a threat to various repressive states of the world that are bent on implementing anti-people policies including violating the people’s basic rights to freedom.

KARAPATAN joins the IAPL, ILPS and other anti-imperialist organizations in condemning this act against Ms.Brunner and other similar incidents happening in different countries. We will not allow our civil liberties to be violated! We will continue to uphold our human rights!

Justice for Aliyah!

Justice for all victims of human rights violations!

Long live International Solidarity!

KARAPATAN
Alliance for the Advancement of People's Rights
#43 Masikap St., Brgy. Pinyahan,
Quezon City 1100 PHILIPPINES
telefax: (632) 928 6078 and (632) 435 4146
email address: [email protected]
[email protected]
website: www.karapatan.org