• THERESA MAE DULMAN
Human Rights Advocates Negros (HRAN) and various groups persist their call for justice for slain human rights defender Zara Alvarez on the fifth anniversary of her murder.
On August 17, 2020, Alvarez, a paralegal and education director of Karapatan-Negros, was gunned down in Barangay Mandalagan.
According to Karapatan-Negros, in 2018, her name was part of the list of around 600 individuals branded as terrorist by the previous administration.
In a statement, HRAN praised Alvarez’s ‘life and heroism’ and vowed to continue her work, which involved documenting and helping victims of human rights abuses.
“That Monday night in Bacolod City, when she was martyred, they did not simply take a life, they robbed the poor of a gentle friend and a fierce defender,” Bishop of San Carlos Most Rev. Gerardo Alminaza said.
HRAN called on the public to join them in demanding justice for Alvarez and other victims in Negros, resisting what they termed ‘state fascism,’ and becoming human rights defenders themselves.
“As we remember Zara on this day we continue her fight and in resisting state terrorism,” HRAN said.
The Bagong Alyansang Makabayan – Negros members and advocates collectively gathered in Iglesia Filipina Independiente Bacolod – Parish of St. Joseph The Worker, in Burgos Street, to commemorate Alvarez.
Meanwhile, the German Embassy Manila also remembers Alvarez and released a statement urging the Philippine authorities to intensify their efforts in conducting thorough investigations.
“Zara’s case is a stark reminder of the grave dangers facing human rights defenders. Germany reaffirms its solidarity with all who bravely work to uphold human rights and the rule of law of the Philippines,” the embassy said in a social media post.*
