[Ppnews] Hands off Congresswoman Liza Maza - voice of women in the Philippines

[Political Prisoner News]

Reply-To: SFBayGABNetMailinglist-owner at googlegroups.com


HANDS OFF LIZA MAZA!
SIGN THE ONLINE PETITION NOW!
<http://www.petitiononline.com/freeliza/petition.html>http://www.petitiononline.com/freeliza/petition.html

Philippine Congresswoman Liza Maza is a staunch advocate for womens human
rights. She was the sponsor of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003;
co-author of the Anti-Violence in Women and Children Act. Overall, Liza has
authored 18 bills and 24 resolutions... Read more about Congresswoman Maza
here

Liza's record shows her dedication in defending womens human rights. Now,
she needs YOU and women the world over to help defend her rights. The
Philippine government under Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has filed baseless
charges of rebellion against her and 50 others, including 5 congressmen.

Please help us ensure that Liza Maza, the voice of Philippine women, is not
silenced. Heres what you can do:


1. Sign the online petition. We need 25,000 signatures by the 21st of April
2006.

2. Write a letter of support. We ask everyone, especially those in the
public eye, women and human rights organizations, academic institutions,
notable individualsto write a letter before the 21st of April 2006. Please
send them to: GABRIELA Network, PO Box 3032, Cerritos, CA 90703-3032. Or
email them to <mailto:freeliza at gabnet.org>freeliza at gabnet.org.

3. Donate $25 or more and get a free Liza Maza, woman of the Philippines
t-shirt.

4. Watch EXPORT QUALITY: Monologues loosely based on true stories of 
mail-order brides
on Friday, April 21, 2006 @ Jack Adams Hall in the Chavez Student 
Union, SF State University. ALL Proceeds benefit the Purple Rose 
Campaign and the Free Liza Maza Campaign. for more info go to 
<http://www.gabnet.org/sfbayarea>www.gabnet.org/sfbayarea or email 
<mailto:sfbayarea at gabnet.org>sfbayarea at gabnet.org

5. Join a lawyers contingent to the Philippines. We are assembling a group
of human rights lawyers to travel to the Philippines to consult on Liza's
case. If you or someone you know is interested please contact Annalisa at
<mailto:freeliza at gabnet.org>freeliza at gabnet.org or 619.316.0920.

For more info, please contact GABNet Chair Annalisa Enrile:
<mailto:freeliza at gabnet.org>freeliza at gabnet.org or 619.316.0920.

************************
MEDIA RELEASE
For Immediate Release
12 April 2006

Reference: Annalisa Enrile, Chairperson, GABRIELA Network USA
<mailto:freeliza at gabnet.org>freeliza at gabnet.org, (619) 316-0920

25,000 SIGNATURES, 100 LETTERS IN 14 DAYS TO DEFEND GABRIELA WOMEN'S 
PARTY CONGRESSWOMAN LIZA MAZA;
GABRIELA NETWORK USA LAUNCH HANDS OFF LIZA MAZA CAMPAIGN

Los Angeles, CA--On April 10, 2006, GABRIELA Network USA (GABNet), a
Philippine-US women's solidarity mass organization, launched an 
intensive 14-day
nationwide campaign demanding Mrs. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, the de facto
Philippine president, to keep her hands off Congresswoman Liza Maza and to drop
all the baseless charges of rebellion against 50 others, among them women
organizers and leaders.  The "Hands Off Liza Maza" campaign consists 
of gathering
25,000 petition signatures and 100 letters of support from notable 
organizations
and individuals.  GABNet Chair Annalisa Enrile said that the "Hands Off Liza
Maza" campaign "is designed to educate about the Philippine situation and to
galvanize the US public and the international community in defense of democracy
and of those fighting for democracy."

As a vocal advocate for women's rights, Congresswoman Maza is celebrated as the
voice of Philippine women .  She is the sole congressional 
representative of the
GABRIELA Women's Party, one of the rare all-women's electoral parties in the
world.  Maza is the principal author of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Law and
the Anti Violence Against Women and Children Act.  These laws, according to a
statement from GABNet, are very important in the Philippine context because in
2005 alone 750,000 women were exported to over 203 countries;  30% of the women
being exported from the Philippines end up in the sex trade.  The women's
organization said that, for this reason, it is imperative that 
Congresswoman Liza
Maza remain free to represent women in the Philippine government.

Congresswoman Maza has been unjustly charged with rebellion and has been under
"house arrest" since February 27, 2006.  "Congresswoman Maza's case," GABNet
Secretary General Dorotea Mendoza said, "is a prime example of just how much
women's voice of reason is such a threat to the status quo--objectification of
women, commodification of Filipinas, gender and economic 
inequities.  So much so
that governments feel the need to silence them through political persecution or
by any means necessary."




The Freedom Archives
522 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 863-9977
www.freedomarchives.org 
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