DISAPPEARED PRIEST,

FR. RUDY ROMANO

IS EVER PRESENT IN OUR HEARTS….

July 11, 1985 – Twenty three-years ago, a man-of-the-cloth, a human rights defender and a very good friend, Fr. Rosaleo Rudy Romano, CSsR was forcibly nabbed in Labangon, Cebu City.

For championing the cause of the little ones of God’s flock and linking arms with the wretched of the earth, Fr. Rudy Romano, Vice President of Bayan-Visayas was forcibly taken by the Machiavellian forces of his time at the peak of harsh repression during the tyrannical and rapacious Marcos regime. True to his mission as a Redemptorist father, he caught the ire of the state – several times harassed during mammoth rallies and demonstrations demanding for the ouster of the US-Marcos dictatorship and detained for his fearless advocacy for the cause of the workers, peasants and urban poor of Cebu. A true Christian, he traced and followed the footsteps of his Redeemer by offering his life for the ransom of many.

One of the many desaparecidos of the country, Fr. Rudy Romano remains present in the hearts of the Cebuanos. The marker which the local government of Cebu established in his honor in the very place where he was taken by agents of the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP) is a constant reminder of Fr. Romano’s unflinching commitment to the cause of the downtrodden. More importantly, his exemplary deeds which touched the lives of many will never ever be forgotten. Fr. Rudy Romano is ever present in our hearts.

More than a couple of decades, the Philippine government miserably failed to produce the truth about the disappearance of a man whose cherished dream was to attain a better Philippines for his people and for the generations of the future to live in. Instead, the succeeding administrations after Marcos continued to commit cases of enforced disappearances causing untold sufferings both to the desaparecidos and their families.

Painful indeed it is to note that 23 years after Fr. Rudy’s disappearance, the Philippines is one of the Asian countries which is most notorious in their record of enforced disappearances. Failing to sign and ratify the United Nations Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearances, the Arroyo administration has instead callously committed more than 190 cases of enforced disappearances. As a matter of fact, the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances requested the present Arroyo administration to invite it to visit the country and conduct investigation. Yet the Philippine government did not even have the decency to reply. This national phenomenon of enforced disappearances has obliged the Supreme Court to utilize its unused power by convening a National Consultative Summit on Extrajudicial Killings and Enforced Disappearances, Seeking for Solutions.

This is definitely not the better Philippines that Fr. Rudy Romano lived and struggled for during his time…. Yet, his good examples and his undying spirit of love for humanity should prick the conscience of the present government to resolve cases of enforced disappearances of the past and prevent future ones from happening.

As we remember Fr. Romano, we continue the good deeds he left behind and by continuing this difficult journey towards a world without desaparecidos. This is our modest contribution to the realization of a better Philippines, a better Asia and a better world.

Fr. Rudy is ever present in our hearts.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE/APPEAL FOR SOLIDARITY

Srinagar, Tuesday, 1 July 2008

From: International People’s Tribunal on Human Rights and Justice in Indian-administered Kashmir

On Monday, June 30, the state forces attempted to assassinate Advocate Parvez Imroz, co-convener of the International People’s Tribunal on Human Rights and Justice in Indian-administered Kashmir (http://www.kashmirprocess.org). His statement is included below.

Advocate Imroz is co-founder of the Jammu & Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS) and the Association for Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP). He is a distinguished human rights lawyer and recipient of the Ludovic-Trarieux International Human Rights Prize of 2006.

Advocate Mihir Desai, Legal Counsel for the Tribunal, said: “This reflects the legal and political impunity under which the CRPF and the SOG operate in the state”.

Dr. Angana Chatterji, Tribunal co-convener, said: “The attempt to assassinate Advocate Imroz is cowardly and brutal. This act of the police displays the arrogance and the state of exception in place in Indian-administered Kashmir . This attack is an attempt to halt the International People’s Tribunal from continuing its work. Our findings on the mass graves earlier and last week, and the state’s attempts to intimidate and threaten us, evidence the Government of India’s abject disregard for justice”.

Last week the Tribunal’s investigation into mass graves and nameless in Baramulla and Kupwara led to the targeting and harassment of co-conveners Dr. Angana Chatterji and Advocate Imroz, and Tribunal crew. The surveillance by intelligence personnel has escalated: Mr. Khurram Parvez, Tribunal Liaison, has been previously targeted and remains under surveillance, and Dr. Chatterji was again harassed by intelligence and police on June 30 while conducting Tribunal work. Dr. Chatterji, Advocate Imroz, Advocate Desai, and Mr. Parvez and other members of Tribunal met with families who narrated that their sons had been killed by the police in the violence of last week. The Tribunal conducted its work in curfew-like conditions as Srinagar and various parts of Kashmir remains extremely volatile following last week’s events.

This latest attack is an escalation in the forms of state-led intimidation, harassment, and assault aimed at the Tribunal. The attack on Advocate Imroz attempts to make vulnerable the Tribunal and to instil fear in other Tribunal members in an attempt to stop this process. The Tribunal Conveners, Angana Chatterji, Parvez Imroz, Gautam Navlakha, Zaheer-Ud-Din, the Tribunal Legal Counsel, Mihir Desai, and Tribunal Liaison, Khurram Parvez, remain committed to the work on justice and human rights in Indian-administered Kashmir .

Sincerely,

Angana Chatterji, Parvez Imroz, Gautam Navlakha, Zahir-Ud-Din, Mihir Desai, Khurram Parvez

Tribunal Conveners, Legal Counsel, and Liaison

________________________________________

Advocate Parvez Imroz’s Statement:

On 30 June 2008, at 10.10 pm, when Parvez Imroz and his family was about to retire for the evening, Roksana, his wife informed him that there was a knock at the front door. She was extremely afraid, given the two prior assassination attempts on Advocate Imroz’s life. She and Advocate Imroz asked ‘Who are you?’ to those at the front door. They responded aggressively, asking Advocate Imroz by name to open the door. Advocate Imroz was apprehensive after the intimidation of the Tribunal last week when it was undertaking a fact-finding on mass graves in Baramulla and Kupwara. He went to another room at the back of the house and shouted across to his brother, Sheik Mustaq Ahmad, who lived next door. Mr. Ahmad shined a torch at Advocate Imroz’s door and asked the persons at the front door to identify themselves. The persons knocking at the door very aggressively asked Mr. Ahmad to shut off the torch. Meanwhile, Advocate Imroz’s nephew came out of Mr. Ahmad’s house and ran toward Advocate Imroz’s house, fearful, as he stated later, that Advocate Imroz was being taken by the army.

Then, the perpetrators fired one shot in the dark, and it appeared that shot was fired in the direction that Advocate Imroz’s nephew was coming from. The lights down the path had been broken.

After seconds, the perpetrators threw a grenade in Advocate Imroz’s compound outside his front door, which exploded into a fireball. They also threw a tear gas and fired two blank shots while leaving.

The perpetrators left at around approximately 10.30 pm. On the way, the perpetrators beat one male neighbour.

Meanwhile, community members had made an announcement from the village mosque, and people had gathered down the path. The villagers also stated that they had seen one large armoured vehicle and two Gypsy cars, and men in CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force) uniform and SOG (Special Operations Group) uniform.

[Note: Advocate Imroz's home is located in Kralpura village approximately 8 kilometres from Srinagar .]

Coordination of Democratic Rights Organizations

We, members of Coordination of Democratic Rights Organizations, condemn the murderous attack, according to the eyewitnesses, by personnel from CRPF and SOG on human rights defender and lawyer Pervez Imroz. On 30 June, 2008 at approximately 10.30 pm these personnel knocked on the door of Pervez’s house. When his wife Ruksana didnot open the door they threw a grenade and then opened fire. On hearing this neighbours and villagers rushed out of their houses. The security personnel then ran away but while retreating they beat up people who had gathered outside. But people were able to recognise them as security force personnel because they were all in uniform. Moreover, when friends and relatives of Pervez Imroz tried to get in touch with the IG and the SSP neither of them took their calls.

The attack on Pervez Imroz comes barely ten days after he and his colleagues were accosted on 20^th June 2008 by J&K police when they were returning from Kupwara where they had gone to investigate “unidentified” graves. The fact-finding is part of the effort to unravel the mystery of enforced disappearance of 8-10,000 persons since 1990 in J&K. There is some reason to believe that the answer may be lying buried in the “mass graves” which came to light recently in the Uri sector of J&K and which had been investigated by Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society. We fear that the attempted attack on him could be linked to thwart further investigations into this matter.

This incident is latest instance of a rising graph of attack on human rights defenders across India in which many activists have been incarcerated under trumped up charges. But the physical assault reminds us of the past when Dr Ramanatham, Purushottam, Parag Das, Jalil Andrabi, Jaswant Singh Khalra became victims of assassination.

WE wish to point out that exposing the crimes and misdeeds of security forces and other armed groups, and carrying out fact findings, such as into the matter of “unidentified” graves, is legitimate and forms quintessential part of human rights work. That such work may upset authorities is understandable if they want truth to lie buried. However, it is disturbing trend when security agencies become law unto themselves and engage in activities akin to brigandage. We are concerned that elected governments have shown a propensity to wink at these lawless activities and are unwilling to clamp down on them.

WE urge you to look into this matter and book the culprits responsible for this crime lest such criminal activities, if it goes unpunished, end up digging the grave of constitutional democracy whereas freedom and liberties of the people are always to be protected.

[ C/o PUDR, Dr Moushumi Basu, A-6/1, Aditi Apartments, Pocket D, Janakpuri, New Delhi 110058.]

Andhra Pradesh Civil Liberties Committee

Association for Democratic Rights ( Punjab )

Association for Protection of Democratic Rights ( West Bengal )

Bandi Mukti Samiti ( West Bengal )

Committee on Human Rights (Manipur)

Committee for Protection of Democratic Rights ( Maharashtra )

Human Rights Forum (Andhra Pradesh)

Lok Shahi Hakk Sanghtana ( Maharashtra )

Manab Adhikar Sangharsh Samiti ( Assam )

Naga People’s Movement for Human Rights (Naga Areas)

Organisation for Protection of Democratic Rights (Andhra Pradesh)

People’s Democratic Forum (Karnataka)

People’s Union for Civil Liberties (Chattisgarh)

People’s Union for Civil Liberties (Jharkhand)

People’s Union for Civil Liberties ( Nagpur )

People’s Union for Civil Liberties (Rajasthan)

People’s Union for Democratic Rights ( Delhi )

Public Commission on Human Rights ( Jammu and Kashmir )

Signed on behalf of CDRO members on 4^th July, 2008, at New Delhi

Harish Dhawan, Secretary, PUDR ( Delhi )

Ningreichon Tungshang, NPMHR

Endorsed also by Saheli Resource Centre ( New Delhi )

Protect the Rights of Human Rights Defenders!

AFAD Condemns the Threat to the Life of Parvez Imroz

July 2, 2008 – The Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD), a regional federation of Asian human rights organizations working directly on the issue of enforced disappearances, strongly condemns the latest threat to the life of Attorney Parvez Imroz. Representing the Association of Parents Disappeared Persons (APDP), which is a core group member of AFAD, Parvez Imroz is one of AFAD’s Council members.

Today, the Federation received a report from its member-organization, the APDP about the latest of the series of serious threats to the life of Mr. Imroz. The report vividly recounted that for having co-convened an International People’s Tribunal on Human Rights established in order to investigate the recently discovered mass graves of at least 940 people in Baramula and Kopwara, Parvez Imroz has all the more earned the ire of the violators of human rights.

According to the Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons, on June 30, 2008 at 10:00 p.m., 4 armed men, believed to be policemen, knocked at the house of Mr. Imroz. When asked of their identity by Mr. Imroz’ wife, Rokhsana, the men were aggressively calling on Mr. Imroz to open the door and come out. The latter, aware of the intimidation he received days earlier because of the work of the International People’s Tribunal on Human Rights, immediately informed his brother, Sheik Mustaq Ahmad through the backdoor. Mr. Ahmad reportedly shined a torch at Mr. Imroz door and asked the persons in front to identify themselves only to be aggressively ordered to put off the torch. Mr. Imroz nephew came out of Mr. Ahmad’s house, afraid that Mr. Imroz might have been taken away. This forced the armed men to leave, but only after firing a shot in the dark believed to be pointing towards the direction of Mr. Imroz’ nephew. Worse still, they threw a grenade that exploded in Mr. Imroz’ compound outside his front door. On their way back, the perpetrators beat a male neighbor.

The members of the community made an announcement in the village mosque. It was later learned that the villagers stated that they saw a large armored vehicle and two gypsy cars and men wearing Central Reserve Police Force (CSRF) and Special Operations Group uniforms.

It is important to note that a week prior to the incident, the Tribunal conducted investigation into mass graves of nameless people in Baramulla and Kupwara. Together with Mr. Imroz in the Tribunal are his other co-convenors, Dr. Catenni, Advocate Desai who were likewise harassed by intelligence personnel.

The Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD) reiterates its strongest condemnation of this attack against its own colleague whose noble intention is to work for human rights in this war-torn paradise of Kashmir.

Mr. Parvez Imroz, who, by dint of his fearless human rights advocacy, is the 2006 recipient of the Ludovic-Trarieux International Human Rights Prize. As the Indian government refused to renew his passport, he was deprived from personally receiving the award. His human rights advocacy, however, has earned for him the ire of the powers-that-be, consequently resulting in the numerous threats against his person.

The Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances challenges the government of India to:

1. fully investigate the incident and punish the perpetrators to the full extent of the law;

2. ensure that there would be no further threats to Mr. Imroz’ life and that full protection be accorded to him and all other human rights defenders in Kashmir;

3. fully investigate the skeletons inside the closet manifested in the identified mass graves in the above-mentioned areas which was the reason for the establishment of the International People’s Tribunal on Human Rights.

Finally, as the international community is commemorating this year the 10^th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights Defenders, we call on the Indian government to be true to its claim of being the bastion of democracy in Asia by protecting the rights of human rights defenders in particular and the rest of its citizens in general.

Signed and authenticated by:

MUGIYANTO MARY AILEEN D. BACALSO

Chairperson Secretary-General

On June 4, 2008, the Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD) celebrated its 10^th anniversary in Manila, Philippines. The day was, indeed, a red-letter day for the federation which is presently composed of 8 organizations for the disappeared from Indonesia, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines and Thailand. For this special day, delegates of the member-organizations along with partners from Latin America and Eastern Europe gathered together with families of the disappeared and surfaced desaparecidos, victims of other human rights violations, members of the human rights community, non-governmental organizations and peoples’ organizations, some representatives of the diplomatic community and from government agencies, people from the academe and the church as well as friends from other sectors. Although not physically present, more friends and partners made their presence felt through their very warm solidarity statements that helped mark this important juncture in AFAD’s history.

Looking far back, it took almost a year of conception which started in May 1997 before the federation’s core group composed of three organizations for the disappeared in the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Kashmir was launched on June 4, 1998 in Manila. The Latin American Federation of Associations of Relatives of Disappeared-Detainees (FEDEFAM), which then already had years of rich experiences in terms of federation-building, greatly contributed to AFAD’s conception and birth. Right from its early beginnings, AFAD envisioned to serve as an Asia-wide response to the regional phenomena of enforced disappearances. At that time, Asian governments could easily project that involuntary disappearance was solely a Latin American phenomenon. Ten years after AFAD was born, these Asian governments cannot anymore do the same as the federation’s very existence speaks to the contrary.

The Filipino saying, “Ang hindi marunong lumingon sa pinanggalingan ay hindi makararating sa patutunguhan…” (One who does not know how to look back will never reach one’s destination…), is very much entrenched in AFAD’s 10^th anniversary celebration. On the day itself, two separate but interrelated activities were held. In the morning, AFAD’s WEBOPAC (WEB Online Public Access Catalog) was launched at the University of the Philippines (UP) in Quezon City and a Solidarity Dinner was held in the evening in Jade Valley also in Quezon City.

Prior to the presentation of AFAD’s WEBOPAC during the morning activity, the highlights of the federation’s history which included its conception, birth and growth were presented. The presentation was able to capture the AFAD realities, an important part of which is the fact that although regional federation-building on the involuntary disappearance issue was a pioneering initiative in Asia, AFAD was certain with what it wanted to do and where it was leading to right from its early beginning. As presented in the power point, AFAD’s clarity of purpose and direction was confirmed by its concrete achievements in the years after its birth particularly its capacity to build itself into an Asian-wide federation of organizations for the disappeared in essence and in form and link up with the international movement against involuntary disappearance which greatly helped pave the way for the unanimous adoption by the UN General Assembly of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance on the 20^th of December 2006.

The music video that followed complemented the power point presentation of AFAD’s history. The powerful theme song of the federation which was composed a couple of years ago was given more flesh through the very expressive photos of individual members of AFAD’s member-organizations from the different Asian countries during the series of psychosocial processing and self-healing facilitated by the federation over the past years. Indeed, time cannot automatically heal all wounds. Certainly though, people who went through similar experiences although they come from different countries and cultures like that of the families of the disappeared gain strength from one another in their mere togetherness and in their collective efforts to campaign for justice for their loved ones.

The WEBOPAC launching came towards the middle of the activity. To recall, the AFAD Resource Center was established in May 2006 in honor of two human rights defenders, Aasia Jeelani of Kashmir and Munir of Indonesia and dedicated to all desaparecidos particularly in Asia. Being a computerized online catalog of all the resource center’s current materials, the OPAC greatly contributes to the advancement of the federation’s resource center. Generally, web-based OPACS are also known as iPAC (Internet/Intranet Public Access Catalog). The OPAC will greatly help researchers of the AFAD library as they get information on its contents through the internet. This is another venue for AFAD to go public in order to project the involuntary disappearance issue and gather support to the cause of the disappeared in a much wider manner.

In the evening of June 4, a solidarity dinner was held among AFAD’s member-organizations and partners as well as families and relatives of the disappeared and other friends of the federation. The mood that prevailed that night was light, joyful and strengthening as AFAD’s council members along with officers and delegates from member-organizations and visitors came up with their unique musical and other presentations. In the main, the warm togetherness on that night serves as a symbol of the unending hope that someday, tears could be wiped away, justice will be achieved for the disappeared and their families and the phenomenon of involuntary disappearance will gradually be eradicated from this planet.

” A Decade of Struggle Towards A World Without Desaparecidos, ” the theme of AFAD’s 10^th anniversary apply captures its accomplishments and its vision of eradicating this most cruel form of human rights violation from the face of the earth.

Related activities

In time for the International Day of the Disappeared, AFAD held a Public forum in cooperation with the Human Rights Center at the Ateneo Law School in Makati City on May 30, 2008. The theme for the forum was: Enforced Disappearance is Anti-life! Sign and Ratify the United Nations Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.“ The Invocation was offered by Catholic priest, Fr. John Leydon. Starting from the opening remarks given by former House Rep. Hon. Loretta Ann Rosales and all throughout the forum, focus was given on the calling of all governments especially the Philippine government to sign and ratify said Convention. In line with this, Ms. Aileen D. Bacalso, AFAD’s Secretary General, presented the status of the Convention. Her presentation speaks that indeed, much remains to be done prior to its signing and ratification by Asian governments and its eventual entry into force. The gravity of involuntary disappearance in Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe were gleaned from the concrete presentations of the AFAD delegates and friends from these countries. Dr. Edita Burgos of the Free Jonas Movement in the Philippines shared her family’s experience in searching for her recently-disappeared son, Jonas Burgos, while Jun Lozada, the ZTE Deal star witness, shared his experience as a surfaced desaparecido. Atty. Byron Bocar, the Legislative officer of the office of House Rep. Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel, spoke on the present status of the bill dealing with enforced disappearances. Chair of the Ateneo Human Rights Center, Atty. Carlos P. Medina shared the concrete experiences of lawyers and judges in the course of their defense of the families of victims of enforced disappearances. The Open Forum after the presentations was very enriching.

Prior to the 10^th anniversary celebration, AFAD’s Council officers and members, the other delegates, the Secretariat and three guests went through a three-day training from June 1-3. This was titled, “Advocacy and Protection: Maximizing the UN Human Rights Council and its Mechanisms to Attain AFAD’s Goal in Fighting Involuntary Disappearances. The training was facilitated by Atty. Cecilia Jimenez, a Filipina lawyer based in Geneva who is well-versed on the UN mechanisms and international lobbying in general. The training is a part of AFAD’s bracing up for the tasks and challenges ahead vis-à-vis continuing human rights violations in Asia.

Indeed, AFAD’s 10^th anniversary celebration is a very important milestone in the history of the federation. Strengthened by its experiences over the past years, the 10-year old federation braces itself for greater challenges and tasks ahead.