(We yield this space to the statement of Amnesty International due to its timeliness. – Ed.)
AMNESTY International is deeply alarmed by the recent escalation of attacks against human rights defenders and activists in the Philippines.
On May 1, Archad Ayao, an investigator for the Commission on Human Rights, was shot dead in Cotabato City by a still unidentified gunman. On April 22, human rights worker and local politician Bernardino Patigas was gunned down in Escalante City, Negros Occidental. Hours later, several of his colleagues – including Karapatan Secretary General Cristina Palabay – received threatening text messages from an unknown person warning them that they are likewise targeted to be killed this year.
Besides direct physical violence, human rights defenders have faced delegitimization efforts that could put them in danger. In March, military officials linked the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the rights of Indigenous Peoples, Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, to the alleged “terrorist activities” of the Communist Party of the Philippines, in a seeming attempt to undermine her human rights work. As this case exemplifies, government officials have exposed numerous defenders and activists to a greater risk of attacks by “red-tagging” them – i.e., linking them to Communist armed groups, or to terrorist activities, based on their peaceful criticism of government policies.
The attacks against human rights defenders come amidst a deteriorating human rights situation. Over the past three years, thousands of Filipinos, mostly from poor and marginalized communities, have been killed in the name of the government’s ongoing “war on drugs.” The killings continue on a daily basis despite domestic and international condemnation. Human rights defenders who have been calling for accountability and an end to the killings have been subjected to sustained harassment via the criminal justice system.
Philippine authorities are obligated to take action to protect human rights defenders under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which the Philippines is a state party. The ICCPR requires states parties to uphold and protect individuals’ rights to life [Article 6(1)], freedom of expression [Article 19(2)], freedom of assembly [Article 21], and equal protection under the law [Article 26], and requires states parties to provide effective remedies when individuals’ rights are violated [Article 2(3)].
Amnesty International calls on the Philippine government to conduct prompt, effective, and impartial investigations into the attacks on human rights defenders, and to bring those responsible to justice in fair trials. The authorities and government officials should also desist from making pronouncements that disparage the valuable and necessary work of human rights defenders, actively protect human rights defenders from harm, and ensure an environment that is safe and supportive for them to carry out their advocacy.
