Mary Lawlor, former United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, is calling on the Philippine government to reopen the investigation into the killing of labor organizer Jude Thaddeus Fernandez, citing serious concerns about wrongful death and the continued lack of accountability.
In a report issued on July 14, 2026, Lawlor accused the Philippine National Police (PNP) of “shoddy and possibly willful ignorance in their investigation methods” in the case of Fernandez.
Fernandez, a long-time member of the Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) labor group, was killed on September 29, 2023, by officers from the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG).
Authorities claimed that Fernandez put up a struggle during the operation, a reason that is often employed in cases involving alleged extrajudicial killings. Yet investigations by human rights organisations and congress members found no proof that Fernandez resisted arrest.
A firearms expert review commissioned by Lawlor found no proof that Fernandez had fired a gun. Moreover, the forensic analysis shows that someone altered the firearm found with Fernandez at the crime scene.
The police investigation was criticized as inadequate and inconsistent, with critics highlighting conflicting statements about Fernandez’s identity and the improper handling of key evidence.
The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) concluded that a human rights violation had taken place; however, almost three years on, no one has been brought to account for Fernandez’s death.
KMU Chairperson Jerome Adonis called the Fernandez case part of a wider counterinsurgency campaign of the government, also targeting activists and trade union leaders, and exacerbated by the government’s “anti-terrorism laws.”
International observers have cited the case of Fernandez as an example of the continued lack of accountability concerning the killings of human rights defenders in the Philippines.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has recently ordered the Philippine military to respond to a petition from the family of William Lariosa, after lower courts denied their requests for protective writs. Lariosa, a KMU Southern Mindanao labor organizer, was abducted in Quezon, Bukidnon, on April 10, 2024.
In a separate case, the legal team of journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio and church worker Marielle Domequil has appealed their terrorism financing conviction from January 2026 to the Court of Appeals in Cebu City.
Their counsel, Atty. Julianne Agpalo, argued that the Regional Trial Court in Tacloban erred in its decision and hopes the appellate court will reverse the verdict.
Families and advocates remain hopeful and continue to call for the release of Cumpio and Domequil.
Photo © Raffy Lerma