They appealed to the member-States of the United Nations Human Rights Council to adopt and endorse High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet’s report, including recommendations for continuous monitoring and independent and impartial investigation of the human rights situation in the country. By ANNE MARXZE D. UMIL Bulatlat.com MANILA – A day after President Rodrigo…
“The advancement of broad, vague and overly abrasive definition and legislation relating to terrorism can have the opposite of the intended effect which is that by silencing voices, by cracking down on civil society, by weakening the due process and protections offered by the criminal justice system that doesn’t strengthen the States by rather weakening the due process protections offered by the criminal justice system — that doesn’t strengthen the States but rather weakens it in the long run.”
“We maintain that our petition is urgent amid the spate of intensified red-tagging, illegal arrests, and killings perpetrated against us by this government.”
In the past three years, close to 40 nations have been signing a resolution, initiated by Iceland, expressing concern over the rising number of killings related to President Duterte’s “war on drugs.” Initially they urged the Philippine government to stop the killings and undertake an impartial investigation on these cases. Subsequently they called on the…
“We hope that the member states and non-member states will support this resolution because this is just one of many initiatives that will address these heinous extrajudicial killings.”
“It is time for the Human Rights Council to take action against these sustained attacks on human rights defenders and independent watchdog institutions.”
A barangay councilor who were with the victims at the time of the incident said that Gilbert Labial saw the assailant on their way home but were trapped and repeatedly shot by the assasins.
Detained church workers and rights activists were released on bail after their arrest on the evening of July 4 in General Santos City while holding an organizational consultation on peasant and tribal issues.
The group, headed by representatives of the IFI Diocese of Libertad, were in a meeting at the Mother Francisca Spirituality Center at Radasa St., Ladao, General Santos City when the police barged in and served a warrant of arrest for three persons whose names were unknown to them.
The killing of three priests over the last six months — of Fr. Marcelito Paez last December, 2017, Fr. Mark Ventura in April, and Fr. Richmond Nilo this June — has provoked both outrage as well as fears that it is part of the Duterte regime’s campaign to silence its critics. Priests have been murdered…
“The Duterte regime has targeted not only individuals, but entire communities, using bombs to threaten and intimidate hundreds of residents.”