A climate of fear and a lack of cooperation by military authorities are hampering the Philippine government's investigation into a string of politically motivated killings of left-wing activists, a New York-based human rights group said yesterday.
A government task force, created by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to jail suspects in at least 10 of the dozens of killings, has made little visible progress as it nears its Oct. 7 deadline to solve the cases, Human Rights Watch said.
"The government's special investigation into the killings must be effective. Otherwise, justice is in jeopardy in the Philippines," Sophie Richardson, the group's deputy Asia director, said in a statement.
"Too many people are getting away with murder," she said.
Left-wing and human rights groups have pointed a finger at military operatives. Last week, former Major General Jovito Palparan, who commanded the 7th Infantry Division in the northern Philippines, disputed the accusations, calling them communist propaganda.
Palparan, dubbed the "executioner" by critics, testified at an investigation commission headed by a retired Supreme Court justice.
Human Rights Watch said its research in the Philippines uncovered deep public distrust of the government's investigative effort, widespread fear among witnesses and victims' families, and a climate of fear in areas where the killings have occurred.
The local human rights group Karapatan says at least 752 people, including 319 left-wing activists, have been killed and about 180 others have disappeared in alleged state-sponsored abductions since 2001.
London-based Amnesty International says there have been 51 political killings during the first six months of this year, compared with 66 for all of last year.
Richardson said it was not surprising that Filipinos were losing confidence in the security forces and government. The government has failed to provide protection and redress for ordinary citizens, and has not even acknowledged the need to fix the system, she said.
Human Rights Watch said in some cases, police shied away from pursuing credible leads when they indicated the involvement of soldiers in the killings. In other instances, police provided misleading information to victims' families, it said.
The military has denied any involvement, and Arroyo has repeatedly promised to bring the perpetrators to justice.
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