Philippines
29.06.04
Urgent Interventions
Philippines: abduction of Mr. Carpit Jimlan in Davao City.
Case PHL 290604
Abduction/ Forced disappearance
The International Secretariat of OMCT requests your URGENT intervention in the following situation in the Philippines.
Brief description of the situation
The International Secretariat of OMCT has been informed by the Asian Human Rights Commission, a member of the OMCT network, of the abduction of a 26 years old Muslim, Mr. Carpit Jimlan in the Philippines.
According to the information received, on April 30, 2004, Carpit Jimlan was abducted by armed men near his residence in Upper Sirib, Calinan, Davao City at around 8:00 a.m.. His whereabouts remain unknown. Apparently, Carpit Jimlan is the latest victim of forced disappearances of Muslim residents in Davao City.
According to the information received, Carpit Jimlan, a Muslim Tausug, was forcibly abducted by three unidentified, heavily armed men for unknown reasons in front of a store in the vicinity of Packing House. According to the victim’s mother, Saira Jimlan, her son was sitting in front of a store owned by a certain Bisi Bala when the armed men suddenly got out from a parked L300 Van, bearing plate no. LBD 328, and forcibly dragged him at gunpoint towards the van. The three armed men ordered Carpit to lie on the ground, which he refused to do, and they then forcibly dragged him into the waiting getaway van. After that the abductors headed towards the “poblacion” area of Guianga, Calinan.
Upon seeing the van leaving the place of the abduction, Saira Jimlan immediately asked a motorcycle (habal-habal) to go after it. However, the motorcycle lost the van. Saira Jimlan then immediately reported the incident to the Calinan Police Station but the police did not take any action to find the fleeing abductors. On May 2, 2004, Carpit's family followed up the case development at the Calinan Police Station, asking whether the police conducted an investigation regarding Carpit's disappearance. They found that the police had no taken further action regarding the case.
Saira Jimlan and her relatives are searching for the whereabouts of Carpit. They went to several different police stations, a local television station and individual figures that might be able to help them to find the whereabouts of Saira’s son, however, all their attempts have failed.
According to Saira Jimlan, the only possible reason for her son's abduction and disappearance is a mistaken identity. She said that Carpit's co-tricycle driver, a certain Maadil Sapari, reportedly had a standing warrant for arrest on unknown charges. Saira Jimlan added that since the person driving the passenger motorcycle at the time of the abduction was Carpit and not Sapari, he might have been mistakenly identified by the abductors as Sapari. Sapari was not in the area at the time of the event.
According to the information received, in April and May 2003, four disappearance cases were already reported from Davao City and the four victims still remain missing up until now. They are Sabdura Ala, Lajmar Jumdail, Amil Mokalam and Alimudin Zulkiple, and they all belong to the Muslim community. Even though their disappearances were reported, both the local police and Davao City Administration have failed to conduct an in depth investigation to look into the cases.
According to the information received, these events happened at the height of the government's campaign against terrorism in Davao City in hunting down perpetrators of bombings that happened in March and April 2003, which resulted in the deaths of several people.
The International Secretariat of OMCT is gravely concerned for the physical and psychological integrity of Carpit Jimlan, given that his whereabouts remain unknown.
OMCT calls for the Philippines Government to immediately locate this person and to launch a thorough and impartial investigation into this case, in order to identify those responsible and bring them to justice.
Action requested
Please write to the authorities in the Philippines urging them to:
i. take all measures necessary to guarantee the physical and psychological integrity of Carpit Jimlan, as well as of Sabdura Ala, Lajmar Jumdail, Amil Mokalam and Alimudin Zulkiple
ii. immediately locate their whereabouts;
iii. order a thorough and impartial investigation into the circumstances of these abductions and forced disappearance, in order to identify those responsible, bring them to trial and apply the penal and/or administrative sanctions as provided by law;
iv. guarantee the respect of human rights and the fundamental freedoms throughout the country in accordance with national laws and international human rights standards.
Addresses
· Ms. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, President, Republic of the Philippines , New Executive Bldg., Malacanang Palace Compound, J. P. Laurel St., San Miguel, Manila, PHILIPPINES, Fax:(+63) 2 929 3968, E-mail: opnet@ops.gov.ph,
kgma@yahoogroups.com
· The Secretary of Justice, The Department of Justice (DOJ) Philippines, Department of National Defense, Camp Gen. Emelio Aguinaldo Quezon City, PHILIPPINES, E-mail: osnd@philonline.com
· Purificacion Quisumbing, Commissioner, Commission on Human Rights (CHR) , SAAC Bldg., Commonwealth Ave., U.P. Complex, Diliman, Quezon City, PHILIPPINES, Fax: (+632) 929 0101 / 928 0848, E-mail: drpvq@chr.gov.ph
Please also write to the embassies of the Philippines in your respective country.
Geneva, June 29th, 2004
Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal in your reply.
Abduction/ Forced disappearance
The International Secretariat of OMCT requests your URGENT intervention in the following situation in the Philippines.
Brief description of the situation
The International Secretariat of OMCT has been informed by the Asian Human Rights Commission, a member of the OMCT network, of the abduction of a 26 years old Muslim, Mr. Carpit Jimlan in the Philippines.
According to the information received, on April 30, 2004, Carpit Jimlan was abducted by armed men near his residence in Upper Sirib, Calinan, Davao City at around 8:00 a.m.. His whereabouts remain unknown. Apparently, Carpit Jimlan is the latest victim of forced disappearances of Muslim residents in Davao City.
According to the information received, Carpit Jimlan, a Muslim Tausug, was forcibly abducted by three unidentified, heavily armed men for unknown reasons in front of a store in the vicinity of Packing House. According to the victim’s mother, Saira Jimlan, her son was sitting in front of a store owned by a certain Bisi Bala when the armed men suddenly got out from a parked L300 Van, bearing plate no. LBD 328, and forcibly dragged him at gunpoint towards the van. The three armed men ordered Carpit to lie on the ground, which he refused to do, and they then forcibly dragged him into the waiting getaway van. After that the abductors headed towards the “poblacion” area of Guianga, Calinan.
Upon seeing the van leaving the place of the abduction, Saira Jimlan immediately asked a motorcycle (habal-habal) to go after it. However, the motorcycle lost the van. Saira Jimlan then immediately reported the incident to the Calinan Police Station but the police did not take any action to find the fleeing abductors. On May 2, 2004, Carpit's family followed up the case development at the Calinan Police Station, asking whether the police conducted an investigation regarding Carpit's disappearance. They found that the police had no taken further action regarding the case.
Saira Jimlan and her relatives are searching for the whereabouts of Carpit. They went to several different police stations, a local television station and individual figures that might be able to help them to find the whereabouts of Saira’s son, however, all their attempts have failed.
According to Saira Jimlan, the only possible reason for her son's abduction and disappearance is a mistaken identity. She said that Carpit's co-tricycle driver, a certain Maadil Sapari, reportedly had a standing warrant for arrest on unknown charges. Saira Jimlan added that since the person driving the passenger motorcycle at the time of the abduction was Carpit and not Sapari, he might have been mistakenly identified by the abductors as Sapari. Sapari was not in the area at the time of the event.
According to the information received, in April and May 2003, four disappearance cases were already reported from Davao City and the four victims still remain missing up until now. They are Sabdura Ala, Lajmar Jumdail, Amil Mokalam and Alimudin Zulkiple, and they all belong to the Muslim community. Even though their disappearances were reported, both the local police and Davao City Administration have failed to conduct an in depth investigation to look into the cases.
According to the information received, these events happened at the height of the government's campaign against terrorism in Davao City in hunting down perpetrators of bombings that happened in March and April 2003, which resulted in the deaths of several people.
The International Secretariat of OMCT is gravely concerned for the physical and psychological integrity of Carpit Jimlan, given that his whereabouts remain unknown.
OMCT calls for the Philippines Government to immediately locate this person and to launch a thorough and impartial investigation into this case, in order to identify those responsible and bring them to justice.
Action requested
Please write to the authorities in the Philippines urging them to:
i. take all measures necessary to guarantee the physical and psychological integrity of Carpit Jimlan, as well as of Sabdura Ala, Lajmar Jumdail, Amil Mokalam and Alimudin Zulkiple
ii. immediately locate their whereabouts;
iii. order a thorough and impartial investigation into the circumstances of these abductions and forced disappearance, in order to identify those responsible, bring them to trial and apply the penal and/or administrative sanctions as provided by law;
iv. guarantee the respect of human rights and the fundamental freedoms throughout the country in accordance with national laws and international human rights standards.
Addresses
· Ms. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, President, Republic of the Philippines , New Executive Bldg., Malacanang Palace Compound, J. P. Laurel St., San Miguel, Manila, PHILIPPINES, Fax:(+63) 2 929 3968, E-mail: opnet@ops.gov.ph,
kgma@yahoogroups.com
· The Secretary of Justice, The Department of Justice (DOJ) Philippines, Department of National Defense, Camp Gen. Emelio Aguinaldo Quezon City, PHILIPPINES, E-mail: osnd@philonline.com
· Purificacion Quisumbing, Commissioner, Commission on Human Rights (CHR) , SAAC Bldg., Commonwealth Ave., U.P. Complex, Diliman, Quezon City, PHILIPPINES, Fax: (+632) 929 0101 / 928 0848, E-mail: drpvq@chr.gov.ph
Please also write to the embassies of the Philippines in your respective country.
Geneva, June 29th, 2004
Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal in your reply.