Free the Mamburao 7, Junk PP 1017!

News Release
March 1, 2006
References: Danilo Ramos, deputy secretary general, KMP
Prof. Cesar Tolosa, spokesperson T anggol Magsasaka

Free the Mamburao 7, Junk PP 1017!

The militant Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) and Tanggol
Magsasaka&nbs p;(TM) or Peasant Network in Defense of Land and Human Rights
trooped to the last hearing of the Mamburao 7 case today, and again
demanded the freedom of the 7 innocent farmers.

According to Ka Daning Ramos, deputy secretary general of KMP, "we are
here not just to show our support for our comrades and demand for their
freedom. We are also here to call for the junking of Presidential
Proclamation 1017, because with it even if the Mamburao 7 is set free today,
there is no guarantee of their freedom. The Philippine National Police
(PNP) and the Armed Fo rces of the Philippines (AFP) would just
unlawfully and illegally use the proclamation to again arrest our comrades
with trumped up charges,"

"The Mamburao 7 has been in prison for more than 8 years, for a crime
that they did not commit. It is high time that they be freed, and
allowed to return to their families. The only thing that they did was to
fight for their land, they should not be jailed for that and in fact should
be commended," added the peasant leader.

Meanwhile, Prof. Cesar Tolosa, spokesperson of Tanggol Magsasaka said,
"With PP 1017, we fear that there would be more political prisoners
like the Mamburao 7. PP 1017 legally does not give the PNP and the AFP any
special powers but in practice it emboldens them to commit
unconstitutional acts, as well as rampant human rights violations, like warrant
less arrests and illegal searches. Everything must be done to stop this
illegal and baseless entity named PP 1017,"

"PP 1017 is an abomination, a mutant version of PP 1081 and just
another name for Martial rule. If we do not stop it now, then we will worse
off than in the years of the Marcos dictatorship, because that would
mean that we did not learn from history," ended the peasant advocate," # #
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