Human rights advocacy group Karapatan on Friday condemned the brutal killing of a female lawyer in Abra Thursday afternoon.
“[Karapatan] stands in solidarity with lawyers and judges who have courageously been taking their place in the line of fire in the quest for justice and accountability,” the group said in a statement.
Lawyer Saniata Alzate was shot dead by gunmen riding in tandem on a motorcycle while she was inside her car parked in front of her house in Bangued.
Alzate was a former president of the Abra chapter of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines.
She handled a case for writ of amparo for a man who was allegedly abducted, tortured and illegally detained in Bangued in January.
Impleaded in the petition for a protection order which was granted in February were eight high-ranking Philippine National Police officers in Abra, six of whom are currently under investigation, Karapatan said.
The IBP commended Alzate for the writ of amparo case she filed, citing her “brave efforts for lawyering for the public interest despite great risks to herself.”