The ICJ welcomes the referral to the International Court of Justice of the dispute concerning the immunities and privileges of the UN Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers.
The ICJ confirmed today that a representative of its Australian section who had travelled to Indonesia to monitor the progress of a number of political trials currently underway had been denied access and deported.
The ICJ’s Centre for the Independence of Judges and Lawyers condemns the assassination of attorney Eugene Tan and his driver, Mr. Eddie Constantino.
The ICJ takes note of the Order issued by the President of the Philippines, President Ramos, to all law enforcement agencies to investigate the murders and to effect an arrest within the week.
Attorney Eugene Tan was a human rights lawyer, and the former National President of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines.
On 14 November 1994, Attorney Eugene Tan and his driver, Mr. Eddie Constantino were kidnapped at gunpoint at about 7:30 in the evening near his residence, in Metro Manila. The kidnap was not announced publicly until the two bodies were later found. The car was found later in the evening at Holiday Village, Imus, Cavite.
On 18 November 1994, the bodies of both Attorney Eugene Tan and Mr. Constantino were found in Sitio Barangay Sampaloc, Cavite – south of Metro Manila. Both bodies bore signs of torture and strangulation. Several gun shots and stab wounds were evident on the bodies, as well.
The autopsy reports indicate that both were handcuffed when shot, and that Attorney Tan had 5 to 6 broken ribs. Reports attribute the cause of the death of Attorney Tan to a gun shot wound to the right temple of the head. The type of firearm used is not yet determined.
The reasons for the assassination are not yet clear. The ICJ calls on the Government of the Philippines to thoroughly investigate the assassination and to bring the perpetrators of the crime to justice, and to guarantee the protection of human rights activists in the Philippines.
Victims of human rights abuses have broken new legal ground by winning a civil suit against the former Philippines dictator Ferdinand Marcos, the ICJ said today.
Forty-eight hours before the recent general elections in Thailand, the interim government took unilateral legislative steps which undermine the independence of the judiciary, the ICJ said today.
The trials carried out by the Indonesian government following the massacre in Dili, East Timor, have turned “Justice on its head”, says a report issued today by the ICJ.
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