Friday, February 23, 2007
Speak out: An overkill
By Gabriela Women's Party
THE ratification of anti-terror bill recently speaks volumes of the direction the Arroyo government is headed.
With the law in place, expect more abuses and more punitive actions against any opposition.
Even the so-called safeguards against abuses are rendered useless by the scope, breadth and vagueness of the provisions in the said law.
Given the current martial law-like situation, this new weapon by the government---which includes the proscription of organizations, extensive wiretapping, etc.--will terrorize more people than the Abu Sayyaf bandits and Jemayah Islamiyah militants could.
This is overkill.
The P500,000 compensation each day a suspect is wrongly detained of the charges of terrorism is insufferable.
For the incompetence of our police, or the Department of Justice, which is growing more glaring everyday, the taxpayers will be made to shell out P500,000 daily.
Why should the taxpayers bear the brunt of the law enforcers’ incompetence?
What will stop some enterprising hoodlum from committing terrorist acts and later sharing the jackpot with the police who will arrest him?
Finally, we strongly assail the insertion of the controversial phrase “extraordinary rendition” in the final version of the anti-terrorism bill.
This is virtually an endorsement of torture.
“Extraordinary rendition” is an extra-judicial procedure that involves the sending of untried criminal suspects, suspected terrorists or alleged supporters of groups that the government considers to be terrorist organizations, to other countries for imprisonment and interrogation.
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (February 23, 2007 issue)
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