WE strongly condemn the brutal murder of lawyer Benjamin Ramos in Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental. The National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL) of which the victim was a founding member, said that 34 legal professionals had been killed since President Duterte took office in 2016.

Ramos, who served as lawyer of the families of the slain farmers of Negros Occidental and handled other human rights cases, had paid the supreme sacrifice in the altar of human rights.

His cowardly murder is another proof that the blood-stained Duterte regime has created a culture of impunity in this country. His heinous killing is an assault not only on the rule of law but also on the entire justice system.

We urge the government to put a stop to this national madness and ask all lawyers, especially those who admire the President, to re-examine their stand and help preserve our imperiled democratic system.--Free Legal Assistance Group 7