Human Rights | WPN World People News

LENIDO LUMANOG or “LEN” for short, the leading figure of the so-called “ABADILLA 5,” was buried on 15 September 2016. He died on 6 September 2016 at the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI) after a lingering kidney condition incurred while already in prison and shortly after turning 60 on 2 September 2016. He was at NKTI still serving a sentence of reclusion perpetua (20 years and 1 day to 40 years imprisonment) imposed on the “Abadilla 5” (also SPO2 Cesar Fortuna, Rameses de Jesus, Joel de Jesus and Augusto Santos) who were convicted for the 13 June 1996 murder of ex-Colonel Rolando Abadilla. The latter was ambushed by several gunmen urban guerrilla-style while he was in his car caught in traffic along Katipunan Avenue, Quezon City (in another sense of “traffic kills”). The original sentence promulgated by the Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 103 Quezon City Judge Jaime Salazar Jr. was death (but in 2006, RA 9346 prohibited the imposition of the death penalty in the Philippines). Upon learning of Len’s death from longtime A5 advocate Fr. Roberto Reyes, one of his campaigners for release on executive clemency Amyliza Balliao of the London-based Philippine Jury Campaign exclaimed “They killed him.” In a manner of speaking, the criminal justice system killed him – more precisely, killing him softly and slowly over a period of 20 years, 2 months and 18 days -- counted from his police apprehension on 20 June 1996 and already in the early range of reclusion perpetua.

An appeals court published redacted briefing by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) on October 7 arguing that national security letters (NSLs) and their accompanying gag orders violate the free speech rights of companies who want to keep their users informed about government surveillance.

Texas moved to dismiss its appeal on October 7 in its lawsuit that sought to block the federal government and a nonprofit relief organization from resettling Syrian refugees in the state. Courts have repeatedly ruled against anti-resettlement efforts in Texas, Alabama, and Indiana. The American Civil Liberties Union, along with the ACLU of Texas, National Immigration Law Center, Southern Poverty Law Center, and Susman Godfrey LLP, is representing the International Rescue Committee in the Texas case.

With the start of the rainy season, and as the death toll from Hurricane Matthew continues to rise, UNICEF is sounding the alarm on the threat of waterborne diseases to children living in the worst-affected areas.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel should stress the urgent need for key rights reforms during her visits to Mali, Niger, and Ethiopia. Between October 9 and 11, 2016, Chancellor Merkel will meet officials in each country to discuss migration to Europe, as well as German support for the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali.

The closure of eight independent news and current affairs-focused TV channels effectively ends critical television news reporting in Turkey. The channels are among 23 television and radio stations reported by the media to face closure on the basis of a Turkish government decree.

The Iraqi government should make a commitment to prevent any armed forces implicated in laws of war violations from participating in planned operations against the extremist armed group Islamic State (also known as ISIS) in Mosul, Human Rights Watch said in a letter to Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.

The closure of eight independent news and current affairs-focused TV channels effectively ends critical television news reporting in Turkey. The channels are among 23 television and radio stations reported by the media to face closure on the basis of a Turkish government decree.

Independent Expert on foreign debt and human rights, Juan Pablo Bohoslavsky.

Revised EU rules to prevent trade in goods and services that may contribute to torture or execution were approved by MEPs on Tuesday. In negotiations with member states on previous drafts, the European Parliament inserted a ban on the marketing and transit of equipment used for cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment of people in third countries.