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NEWS RELEASE
May 27, 2006

Reference:
EMMI DE JESUS, GABRIELA Secretary General 09173221203
GABRIELA Public Information Dept. 3712302

GABRIELA WELCOMES ALL-WOMEN U.S. LAWYERS' VISIT, PROBE ON WOMEN'S HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION IN THE PHILIPPINES

GABRIELA, the largest alliance of women's organization in the Philippines, welcomes the team of U.S. women-lawyers on the first day of their 5-day visit in the country. The team whose mission is dubbed as "Seeking Answers" will probe the human rights situation particularly of Filipino women.

"This just shows that the notoriety of political repression happening in the country has reached international scale. This initiative of our fellow women from the United States is most welcome for us especially that there is a very disturbing silence from government in spite of the strong statement from the Commission on Human Rights who said that the government should be held accountable in the spate of extrajudicial killings," said Emmi de Jesus, GABRIELA secretary general, during their press conference today.

De Jesus also stated that the Mission was a concrete result of the efforts of women networks in the USA that support the works of GABRIELA-Philippines. 

The all-women team of lawyers for the Mission is composed of: Tina Monshipour Foster, who works for Center for Constitutional Rights, one of the world's largest law firms, as a legal counsel for several detainees held at the US Naval Station at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; Jill Soffiyah Elijah, deputy director of Criminal Justice Institute of Harvard Law School, author of several articles on criminal justice and prison reform, and who has represented numerous political prisoners and social activists; Rachel Lederman, currently the co-chair of the National Lawyers' Guild Post-9/11 Committee, and who has won a million-dollar lawsuit against the city of San Francisco for illegally rounding up demonstrators protesting the Rodney King verdict in Los Angeles; Vanessa Melendez Lucas, who supervises the Children and Family Justice Center's Children's Immigration Law practice; and Merrilyn Onisko, co-chair of the National Lawyers Guild Middle East Sub-Committee and who has led various initiatives to fight the systematic violence and institutionalized war crimes spawned by racism. They are all members of the National Lawyers' Guild of America.

"We truly appreciate their concern in the human rights situation in the Philippines especially now that there is an ongoing attack and systematic vilification of organizations and individuals who are notably opposing the government of Mrs. Arroyo.GABRIELA as an organization and its leaders and members were not spared from this attacks and persecution. Obviously, we are now being targeted by this government to stop our work in exposing its ills and its anti-people policies. Delegations like the Mission are what we might need to convey to the public about this alarming situation of women's human rights. We look forward to more positive actions like this to help in stopping the grave violations against our women and our people," de Jesus added.

De Jesus also presented at the press conference GABRIELA's initial findings of the documented human rights violations against women since 2001 when the Arroyo regime was installed into power. De Jesus said that there were already 68 women victims of political killings, 35 of whom were women-activists (leaders and members of GABRIELA and its network organizations). From January to May 2006 alone, eight (8) women have become victims of political killings including GABRIELA-Bohol leader Liezelda CuÏado who was shot to death last April 3 by a paramilitary man under the 15th Infantry Battalion of the AFP. In 2001, 12 women were killed, 10 in 2002, 14 in 2003, 11 in 2004, and 13 in 2005.

In almost all cases of extrajudicial killings, military elements and/or paramilitary death squads and vigilante groups were the primary suspects. The same goes with enforced disappearances where women-activists were also victimized.

GABRIELA's documented cases of human rights violations against women also include many arrests and abductions, tortures, indiscriminate firings of the military, threats and harassments, and even rape and sexual abuses against women and children.

The US all-women team of lawyers is set to talk with leaders and members of GABRIELA and other organizations to deepen their probe about the women's human rights situation in the country. ###

*** You may also contact Ms. Celit Imasa, Gabriela Public Information Officer, at 09279320122 or 3712302 for further details and inquiries. Thank you.

May 26 press release

May 26 press statement

Letter to US Ambassador to the Philippines

Letter to Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo

Statement of All-Women HR Team. 31 May 2006