Join Amnesty International members on the streets of Central this Sunday to invite members of the public to sign postcards calling for the disbanding of private armies in the Philippines.

ALL ARE WELCOME! CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP

This action is part of Amnesty's worldwide campaign against political violence in the Philippines. Background to the campaign:

Private armies continue to operate in the Philippines despite the mass killing of 63 people in Maguindanao province in November 2009. Among the dead were 33 journalists and other media workers, the world's largest ever single attack on journalists.

Political violence, mainly in the name of counter-insurgency, is a major human rights problem in the Philippines. In the last decade, at least 200 Filipinos have disappeared and more than 1,100 have been executed in political killings.

To support the military in their fight against insurgents, the government has armed and employed poorly trained and unaccountable paramilitary groups. Many of these groups act with impunity under the control of local politicians who effectively use them as private armies.

Amnesty International calls on the government of the Philippines to:

1. Revoke Executive Order 546 which allows for militia and paramilitary groups to provide active support in counter-insurgency operations.

2. Immediately disarm and disband all private armies.

3. Ensure a just and expedited prosecution of those responsible for the Maguindanao massacre.