CPP: Hold Aquino responsible for rights violations in Zamboanga siege, CPP urges

From the CPP Website (Sep 25): Hold Aquino responsible for rights violations in Zamboanga siege, CPP urges

The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) today urged the Filipino people, especially the people of Zamboanga, to hold the Aquino regime responsible for grave violations of human rights and international humanitarian law in the course of its siege against the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) which employed excessive force, endangered the lives of hundreds of thousands of civilians and caused destruction to property and the people’s livelihoods.

The CPP issued this statement as the AFP siege against the MNLF reached its 15th day with no end in sight. The AFP has carried out air strikes, bombings and strafings which have resulted in massive destruction to property and public infrastructure.

“As a signatory to the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL), the Philippine government must comply with the high standards set by the agreement in relation to the conduct of its siege against the MNLF in Zamboanga City over the past several weeks,” said the CPP.

“The Aquino regime has exhibited clear disregard for the democratic rights and wellbeing of the civilian population,” pointed out the CPP. More than a 120,000 residents in several villages of Zamboanga City have been forcibly displaced from their homes and are currently held in government-run evacuation centers where they are exposed to the elements or forced to sleep under makeshift tents. Every day they are made to line up for hours to obtain food and water.

“Officials of the Aquino regime claims that the MNLF took civilian hostages when they were attacked by the AFP, yet at no point did Aquino attempt to determine the actual number and identity of the hostages or seek the release of these hostages through negotiations with the MNLF forces. Instead, he has chosen to launch a massive armed siege with no clear plan of securing the safe passage of civilians.”

“Information about the siege against the MNLF has largely been controlled by the Aquino regime and its armed forces,” pointed out the CPP. “An exhaustive investigation of incidents of human rights abuses must be carried out independently by disinterested parties.”

The CPP called on local and human rights groups to work with the people of Zamboanga and the rest of the Filipino people to conduct a thorough inquiry into the Aquino regime’s siege against the MNLF.

http://www.philippinerevolution.net/statements/20130925_hold-aquino-responsible-for-rights-violations-in-zamboanga-siege-cpp-urges