The secretariat of the Asian Peasant Coalition (APC) will submit a letter of appeal to Supreme Court Chief Justice Reynato Puno next week. The APC appeals to Hon. Puno to act immediately on the case of Randal Echanis, deputy secretary general for external affairs of the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP). He is currently in jail for about 17 months due to a fabricated crime he did not commit.
========================================================
June 24, 2009
HON. REYNATO PUNO
Chief Justice
Supreme Court
New Supreme Court Building Annex
Padre Faura St., Ermita, 1000 Manila
Philippines
Dear Hon. Puno,
Greetings from the Asia Peasant Coalition (APC)!
The APC is an Asia-wide peasant coalition of organizations of farmers, landless peasants, fisherfolks, agricultural workers, dalits, indigenous peoples, herders, pastoralists, peasant women and rural youth with more than 15 million members from 9 countries in Asia such as India, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Nepal, Indonesia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the Philippines.
We joined our members from the Philippines such as the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP), PAMALAKAYA, AMIHAN (National Federation of Peasant Women Network) and UMA (Unyon ng mga Mangagawa sa Agrikultura) to appeal to you to act on the case of RANDALL ECHANIS, KMP Deputy Secretary General for External Affairs. He is currently in jail for about 17 months due to a fabricated crime he did not commit. At 61 years old, his presence inside the Manila City Jail would worsen his health condition.
APC is campaigning for Echanis’ immediate release at the international level. We launched on-line petition signing in collaboration with different organizations worldwide. More than 2,000 world activists and personalities in 91 countries across the globe signed a petitioned letter demanding President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to urgently free “Ka Randy” and drop all fabricated and trumped-up charges against him.
Echanis, was arrested on January 28, 2008 in Bago City, Negros Occidental while attending a consultation called by the agricultural workers' group Unyon ng mga Manggagawa sa Agrikultura (UMA) on the proposed Genuine Agrarian Reform Bill (GARB) or House Bill 3059. He was charged by the Philippine government with 15 counts of murder in connection with the discovered mass grave in Hilongos, Leyte. The Arroyo government and the military had said the mass grave is connected with the communist purge in 1980s to rid the movement with deep penetration agents.
On February 8, 2008, APC launched an “Action Alert” calling for Ka Randy's unconditional and immediate release – you may check it at www.asianpeasant.org The same petition signing is now on-line at Peoples' Coalition on Food Sovereignty (PCFS) at www.foodsov.org/html/petition06.php .
Currently, there are 219 individuals who have signed the on-line petition from 28 countries such as Turkey, Bangladesh, Greece, Indonesia, USA, Norway, Italy, Hong Kong, Nepal, Canada, Japan, United Kingdom, Malaysia, Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Netherlands, Thailand, India, Mongolia, Togo, Saudi Arabia, Palestine, Kenya, United Arab Emirates, France, Singapore and the Philippines.
We are also alarmed about the leaders, organizers and members of the KMP being targeted of human rights violations. The most recent was the killings of Fermin Lorico, Chair of Kaugmaon (KMP Negros Oriental) on June 10, right after he joined the anti-Charter Change rally in Dumaguete City.
We were informed that 4 of KMP’s national council members have been victim of extra-judicial killings and enforced disappearances such as Eddie Gumanoy, Chair of Katipunan ng mga Samahang Magbubukid sa Timog Katagalugan (KASAMA-TK) was killed on April 23, 2003 in Oriental Mindoro, Renato Pacaide, Chair of KMP Far Southern Mindanao Region, killed on March 2, 2007.while Nilo Arado, Secretary General of PAMANGGAS (KMP Panay Region) was abducted on April 12, 2007. According to KMP, of the more than a thousand victims of EJK, 552 victims came from the peasantry. Moreover, 129 were victimized by enforced disappearances.
We appeal to you to act on RANDALL ECHANIS case and facilitate an investigation on the extra-judicial killings and enforced disappearances victimizing peasants. The KMP are campaigning for genuine land reform and the passage of GARB, we believe it is their democratic rights to do so. Please protect the farmers’ that feeds the nation and the whole world!
Sincerely,
BIPLAB HALIM
APC Chairperson