ILIGAN CITY (MindaNews) – Lawyers have condemned the ambush last Monday that killed Marawi City assistant prosecutor Saipal Alawi Sr.
Unnamed assailants fired bullets on the red Toyota driven by the 64-year-old Alawi while he was on his way home in Marawi.
Lawyer Lagamar Latiph, chairperson of the Regional Commission on Human Rights of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), said their office condemns and calls for justice for the death of the prosecutor.
“We call for justice for the untimely death of Prosecutor Alawi Sr. The Commission also demands that the Philippine National Police, the National Bureau of Investigation and concerned law enforcement agencies must conduct a speedy and prompt investigation to bring justice and punish the perpetrators,” he said.
Latiph said that the CHR supports Prosecutor General Claro Arellano of the Department of Justice (DOJ) who likewise condemned the “murder as a true indication of a despicable and senseless act of cowardice which has no place in a civilized society.”
RCHR also encouraged those in the human rights movement to help resolve the injustice and not to let the perpetrators “go unpunished.”
Adom Aguam Macarambon, a lawyer based in Marawi, said that the incident might not be job-related because the fiscal is not handling sensational cases.
Macarambon noted that the victim was not involved in any controversial political issues and theorized that the incident could be related to a rido (clan feud).
Samira Gutoc-Tomawis, former assemblywoman of ARMM, said she heard gun shots across her residence in Marawi just after she attended the city’s peace and order council meeting.
“The violence revived fear despite efforts to involve civilians in community affairs,” she said, adding that more legal education is needed among Marawi residents.
Tomawis said that Marawi Mayor Sultan Fahad Salic met the city prosecutor and other lawyers on Wednesday to discuss security management.
She said lawyers may not perform their roles well when there are threats to their lives.
A number of Maranaos posted calls for justice and prayers for Alawi on their Facebook pages.