ILOILO – An Ilonggo human rights lawyer assaulted last year has been chosen as recipient of an international award, the 2022 Roger N. Baldwin Medal of Liberty.
Atty. Angelo Karlo Guillen, National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL) – Panay secretary general, is the first Filipino to receive the said award named in honor of Roger N. Baldwin, principal founder of both the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the International League for Human Rights.
Established in 1989, the award, which is presented in alternating years by Human Rights First, recognizes activists who advance the protection of human rights.
In March 2021 in Iloilo City, after years of being followed, surveilled and vilified for his work, Guillen survived a brutal stabbing by unknown assailants.
The attack followed repeated attempts by government officials and others to depict him and other NUPL lawyers as “terrorists.”
Three other NUPL lawyers have been murdered in previous years.
“I am honored to accept the Baldwin Medal, which I do on behalf of all Filipino human rights lawyers and defenders,” said Guillen in a news release by Human Rights First.
The Ilonggo human rights lawyer assured that the award will encourage human rights lawyer even more, to continue their work defending human rights and civil liberties in the Philippines, even in these difficult times.
He further expressed his elation that the award was announced on the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples (Aug. 9), which is also the National Indigenous Peoples Day in the Philippines.
“Indigenous peoples, like the Tumandok community, as well as farmers, labor leaders, and activists, have borne the brunt of unjust arrests, extrajudicial killings, and other human rights violations committed by state security forces that, to this day, still take place throughout the country. Their rights must be protected, and we hope that this recognition will help bring attention to their plight,” said Guillen.
According to Human Rights First, the award will be presented to Guillen in person at an event in the United States later this year.
It added that Guillen was chosen for the 2022 Baldwin Medal at the recommendation of an independent jury.
As an awardee, Guillen has been described as a prominent human rights defender and a leader in the NUPL; his legal practice has included a focus on helping document human rights violations and educating farmers and indigenous communities on their human rights under domestic and international law.
Michael Breen, president and chief executive officer of Human Rights First, noted that for more than 30 years, the Baldwin Medal has brought recognition and support to extraordinary activists advancing the protection of human rights at great personal risk.
“Angelo Guillen is a courageous and effective advocate whose work has made a difference in the lives of his fellow Filipinos and put a spotlight on abuses and calling for accountability.” (humanrightsfirst.org/PN)
