The Philippine bureau knew Attorney Ben Ramos as a cheerful, courageous, and sincere lawyer who fought for the marginalized in Negros Island with great commitment. He assisted farmers in Court as well as through his work with PDG. Most recently, he also assisted the Sagay 9, nine farmers who were brutally massacred in a sugar plantation in Sagay City, Negros Occidental in October this year.
While Ben was brave enough to face the perpetrators of human rights violations in Court his opponents were not. Instead, they resorted to his brutal killing to silence him.
Already in April 2018, the Philippine National Police (PNP) in Negros posted pictures of human rights defenders and activists and vilified them as CPP-NPA personalities implicitly making Attorney Ben Ramos and many other activist targets of harassment and extra-judicial killings.
We grieve with Attorney Ben’s family, his colleagues and friends as well as the many people he assisted. We express our solidarity and call for an impartial, transparent, and thorough investigation into the murder of Attorney Ben Ramos! We further call for an end to the vilification and harassment of human rights defenders and activist!
Justice for Attorney Ben Ramos!
Justice to all victims of extra-judicial killings!
Stop the killings!
Stop the harassment of Activists!
Statement by philippinenbüro.
