PAN Asia Pacific (PANAP) joins our friends and fellow land rights defenders in the Philippines in condemning the killing of peasant leader Randall “Randy” Echanis, 72, at the hands of five unknown assailants in the wee hours of August 10. We share their fear that his death marks an escalation of attacks against mass leaders and peace advocates in the country amid a renewed crackdown on critics of the Duterte administration.
According to reports, Echanis “was undergoing medical treatment, and was unarmed, when suspected state forces raided his house.” He was reportedly stabbed to death, along with an unidentified neighbor, in his home in Novaliches, Quezon City (22 kilometers north of Manila).
Echanis is the deputy secretary general of PANAP partner Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP/Peasant Movement of the Philippines). He was among the pioneers in the fight for free land distribution to tillers, a bill for which he helped craft for filing in Congress, beginning in 2007.
Echanis’ commitment to promoting the welfare of Filipino farmers has inspired several generations of farmer leaders and his death is a big loss to the peasant movement in the Philippines.
We are deeply alarmed by what local human rights groups call his state-sponsored murder, which came on the heels of persistent assaults on the rights of rural sectors and their advocates. This criminal act is also cause for concern amid the recent passage of the contested Anti-Terrorism Law, under which a political motivated crackdown on civil society and the legal democratic movement becomes even more dangerous than usual.
We support the call for Philippine authorities to ensure that the civil and political rights of activists are respected and protected. More urgently, we ask that the government investigate the death of Echanis, hold the perpetrators accountable, and redress the grievances of other slain or criminalised individuals working on behalf of communities that have long been marginalised in Philippine society.###
Reference: Sarojeni Rengam, PAN Asia Pacific, Executive Director, sarojeni.rengam@panap.net
Discussion about this post