UN Special Rapporteur Mary Lawlor calls on the Philippines to protect human rights defenders
The United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders, Mary Lawlor, has renewed her call on Philippine government authorities to protect human rights defenders in the country.
The new appeal comes after the general secretary of human rights group Karapatan, Tinay Palabay, is set to testify today in a perjury case filed against his organization and two other progressive groups such as Rural Missionaries of the Philippines and Gabriela, by National Security Advisor Hermogenes Esperon Jr.
“We have seen in recent years that many defenders have been dragged through the courts, stained, red-branded and murdered in the Philippines. This bullying should stop immediately,” Lawlor said in a statement released Saturday, June 18, emphasizing that “instead of pursuing countersuits against them for seeking legal protection from threats.”
The perjury case was sparked after these organizations named Esperson as a defendant in a protective order filed in the Supreme Court of the Philippines amid increased attacks on workers and human rights defenders in the country. , such as the case of Ryan Hubilla of Karapatan-Sorsogon and Zara Alvarez who were killed in June 2019 and August 2020, respectively.
According to Karapatan, their national officers are scheduled to testify at Branch 139 of the Quezon City Metropolitan Magistrates Court from June 20 to August 1, 2022.
Meanwhile, a Belgium-based non-governmental organization, Viva Salud, called for the dismissal of the charges against the organizations and also called on the new government Marcos Jr. to address the deteriorating human rights situation in the administration. outgoing Duterte.
“We stand firmly with our partners Karapatan and Gabriela against this judicial harassment and continued persecution of human rights defenders in the Philippines,” their statement read. “In the hostile political climate, they persevered and courageously defended human rights and worked tirelessly for the realization of the social and economic rights of the people, especially the poor and marginalized.”
“I urge the authorities in the Philippines to stop targeting human rights defenders and to promote and protect their work,” Lowlor said. “We know that harassment and threats can be precursors to physical attacks, as they make defenders more vulnerable and isolated. These attacks must stop immediately.
Marvin Joseph Ang is a creative news writer who follows developments in politics, democracy and popular culture. He pleads for a free press and a national democracy. The opinions expressed are his own.
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