September 14, 2006

HUSTISYA UNITY STATEMENT:

'O DAY OF WRATH, O DAY OF MOURNING'

(Survivors, Family, Relatives and Friends of Victims of Political Killings)

We come together in common grief, united in our outrage against the unabated senseless violence that has claimed the lives of decent men and women. This carnage has come to our doorsteps and we have been stalked by men of deadly intentions who are apparently protected by the State. We have been harassed, received death threats, shot at and lost loved ones to assassins’ bullets. We have walked through the valley of death and our lives will never be the same again for etched in our souls are scars which may take forever to heal.

Yet we rise from our devastation. We may have lived through this horror but we shall not allow ourselves to be paralyzed by fear. These senseless killings are intended to silence people who are conscientious peace and justice advocates and civil libertarians who believe that society can flourish best in an atmosphere of genuine freedom and democracy. We remain steadfast in our conviction that truth and justice will prevail in the end.

We are appalled no end by the cheap regard for human life and we take to task President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo who has chosen to bestow accolades on generals and military men who are known violators of human rights instead of mobilizing the forces under her command to stop the killings. This regime honors butchers and hunts down civilians trying to lead normal lives. What crimes had our loved ones committed to deserve their gruesome fate? There are already 749 recorded deaths of unarmed civilians by suspected military personnel since Macapagal-Arroyo came to power and the number is increasing almost everyday.

Justice’s “terrible swift sword” is tempered in the fiery billows of hell. Similarly, we steel ourselves by staring fear in the face, by developing the courage to speak the truth and to do what is right especially in the face of falsehood and repression. Genuine peace is attained through struggle and through the collective action of noble people working for justice. We, therefore, enjoin everybody to join the campaign to put an end to the government’s “total war policy” and to stop the political bloodbath. The lives of unarmed civilians and innocent people have been unnecessarily snuffed out under this Reign of Terror and the killings must stop NOW!

Stop the Killings!
Respect Human Rights!

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