The organization of lawyers, law professors, judges and law students comprising the Manananggol Laban sa EJKs (MANLABAN) on Saturday expressed support to the recent call and campaign of Roman Catholic bishops to “Stop the Killings, Start the Healing.”
“We strongly urge our colleagues in the legal profession to join the Filipino people on November 5 at the EDSA Shrine as we demand an end to extrajudicial killings,” MANLABAN said.
“As members of the legal profession we value the sanctity of human rights and the equitable rule of law. Hence, we will not remain silent in the midst of the attacks against the right to life, liberty, dignity and security of the people.
“Together with the Filipino people, we demand accountability for the perpetrators of these senseless killings. We reiterate our call not only to put an end to extrajudicial killings but to the intensifying human rights violations and the continued attacks against human rights advocates and our democratic institutions.
MANLABAN is encouraging people “to remain critical and vigilant. These incidents – extrajudicial killings, curtailment of fundamental rights, attacks on critics, human rights advocates and defenders – are footprints of a creeping and impending authoritarian rule. Let us not sit idly by.
“Let us all stand up and fight for our fundamental freedoms. We have done this so many times before and won in all instances. We can do it again.”