UNESCO, AIJC condemn Maguindanao killings

1/28/2010 12:41:00 AM

This is a repost from the contents of the website of the Asian Institute of Journalism and Communication:

The UNESCO National Commission-Communication Committee and Asian Institute of Journalism and Communication expressed outrage over the brutal killing of journalists and civilians in Maguindanao in southern Philippines last November 23.

In condemning the horrific murders, UNESCO and AIJC called for speedy justice for the victims and for the resolute enforcement of the rule of law and protection of human rights.

The massacre brings to the fore the significance of the ongoing multidisciplinary study on the “Culture of Impunity in the Killing of Filipino Journalists” being conducted by AIJC with UNESCO support.

UNESCO NatCom and AIJC called on all sectors to be vigilant in safeguarding our democratic system by making those in power accountable for violations against universal freedoms and assaults on persons.

Citing the UN definition of impunity as “the impossibility of bringing the perpetrators of violations to account,” Dr. Florangel Rosario-Braid, NatCom communication committee chair and AIJC president emeritus, said that government should be able to protect its citizens and journalists in particular against becoming targets of impunity.

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    Democracy, according to the late Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme, is "a question of human dignity, [a]nd human dignity is political freedom, the right to freely express opinion and the right to be allowed to criticise and form opinions."

    But exercising political freedom in the Philippines, which purports itself to be a democracy, can lead to death. Since Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo assumed the presidency of the country in 2001, more than 800 Filipinos murdered in politically-motivated, extra-judicial, targeted killings. Since the 4th quarter of July 2005, one person has been killed every two days. The victims of these brazen acts of violence were all unarmed citizens: lawyers, judges, journalists, medical practitioners, members of cause-oriented groups, priests, church-workers, human rights advocates, laborers and farmers.

    It is widely believed—and the United Nations support this belief—that state security forces are complicit in these crimes.