Martial law victims to ask High Court to stop Marcos' burial in heroes'cemetery

Filipinos who were tortured, jailed, raped, illegally arrested and whose relatives disappeared when Philippine former President  imposed martial lFerdinand Marcosaw in 1972 intends to ask the Supreme Court to stop the government plan to bury Marcos in the heroes' cemetery, a spokesman for the group said Saturday.

Trinidad Herrera, of the Samahan ng Mga Ex-Detainees Laban sa Detention at Aresto or SELDA, said their group plans to file a petition with the Supreme Court for a writ of certiorari next week.

"We want the Supreme Court to issue a temporary retraining order and/or writ of preliminary injunction to stop the Department of National Defense and the Armed Forces of the Philippines from conferring national honors to Marcos through the burial at the heroes' cemetery," Trinidad said.

" If such misdeed happens, it will be a grave injustice to the thousands of victims of extrajudicial killings, enforces disappearances, illegal arrests and detention, torture and harassment perpetrated by the Marcos fascist regime," he added.

Herrera is one of the 9,539 human rights victims who filed a class suit against Marcos in Hawaii. They won the case.

"Marcos is no hero. He was a murderer, torturer and a plunderer. To confer national honors to Marcos is a defilement of the people's historic struggle against the tyranny of martial law," Herrera said.

Herrera reiterated the victims' call to Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte to reconsider his decision "to give such honors to a dictator, and instead hasten the process of indemnification of the victims and relatives."

"Even in the sunset years of our lives, we will continue to fight for justice for all victims of martial law and state fascism," Herrera said.

Source : XINHUA