Rashid Manahan, coordinator of a newly established network of Philippine NGOs and human rights institutions, “Mamamayang Tutol sa Bitay” (Citizens against the Death Penalty), was shot dead in Davao city while on his way to attend a forum on the abolition of death penalty on 24 August 2004.
A staunch campaigner against summary executions, Rashid aged 27, was also executive director of the Community Resource and Development Centre (CRDC), a partner non-governmental organization of the United Nations Multi-Donor Program (UNMDP-3) for peace initiatives in former war-torn towns and villages on the island of Maguindanao.
He had just returned from the airport, having collected two guest speakers of the forum against the death penalty, Martha Alvarez of the Asia Monitoring Team of the European Union and Dr Nymia Simbulan, a Philippine National human rights co-coordinator, when he was shot by an unidentified assailant on a motorcycle. He died while being transported to the Davao Medical Centre. 
