Press Release
March 7, 2007

DOJ ASKED TO INVENTORY CASES OF SUMMARY KILLINGS IN VIEW OF CREATION OF SPECIAL COURTS

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino "Nene" Q. Pimentel, Jr. (PDP-Laban) today urged the Department of Justice and the Supreme Court to make an inventory on the status of cases of extra-judicial killings of political activists and journalists, specially those that have been fully investigated by the authorities and ready for filing with the courts or already undergoing court trial.

Pimentel made the request in view of the Supreme Court's order designating 99 Regional Trial Courts (RTCs) as special tribunals to try the slayings of activists and mediamen for the purpose of speeding up the resolution of these cases and imposition of punishment on the perpetrators.

He said that while the SC's order creating the special criminal courts is laudable, they cannot do much unless the investigation of the political and media killings is fast-tracked and completed by the government prosecutors and these cases are eventually elevated to the courts.

The Melo Commission, he said, has recommended the formation of an independent body free from the influence of the AFP that will further investigate the involvement of Palparan and other military officers in the extra-judicial killings.

The Task Force Usig of the Philippine National Police claimed that there are only about 200 cases of extra-judicial killings from 2001 to present contrary to the finding of the human rights group, Karapatan, of more than 800 cases.

Aside from the wide discrepancy between the figures of the PNP-Task Force Usig and Karapatan, Pimentel said it is unclear how many of the cases of extra-judicial killings have been resolved by the police, completely investigated by government prosecutors and forwarded to the courts for prosecution.

The minority leader said the extra-judicial killings will not be stopped, much less resolved, unless the Arroyo government will exert the political will and demonstrate sincerity in punishing the culprits regardless of who gets hurt and the resistance of the AFP leadership.

"The Supreme Court's creation of 99 special criminal courts to try the extra-judicial killings is good. But it won't end the murders. What is needed is for Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to order the AFP and Philippine National Police to stop the killings and punish the culprits. Gloria is a total failure here," Pimentel said.

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