News
World Press Freedom Day: Maria Ressa awarded while Philippine state of Press Freedom worsens
On the eve of the World Press Freedom Day (May 3), Maria Ressa received the UNESCO press freedom award (or Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize), recognizing her essential work and effort for fighting against disinformation and for freedom of speech in the...
Increasing pressure on lawyers and judges
Judge Monique Quisumbing-Ignacio, who has freed journalist Lady Ann Salem of the charges agains her and granted her release has been red-tagged on a tarpaulin displayed in public. This event is only one in a line of threats against members of the jurisdiction. State...
Philippines still withdrawing from International Criminal Court (ICC)
The Supreme Court (SC) of the Philippines stands by its decision to withdraw from the ICC. Petitions against this decision have been qualified as "moot" and been dismissed. Salvador Panelo, presidential spokesperson said: "The ICC has no jurisdiction over the...
Report on human rights situation issued
In March 2021, the organisation Investigate PH has issued a report on the situation of human rights in the Philippines. Investigate PH, a international coalition of civil, political and legal organizations, was founded in January 2021 after the latest resolution of UN...
New law discards presumption of innocence
The new House Bill 7814 which has been passed on March 2, 2021, according to which suspects regardless of their actual involvement can be detained for being allegedly involved in drug trade, is being harshly criticized by leftist lawmakers. They claim the new law is...
Bloody Sunday sparks discussions about the handling of warrants
After the massacre known as the "Bloody Sunday" there has been increasing pressure on the Supreme Court (SC) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) in regards to the issuing and handling of search warrants. Human rights advocates are asking for clear rules when it comes...
CHR study on police violence in the so-called war on drugs
Investigations on police violence in the context of the so-called war on drugs conducted by the Philippine Commission of Human Rights (CHR) have shown that the police deliberately killed suspects. For this report, 3300 extrajudicial killings in Metro Manila, Central...
Concerns about killings of members of the jurisdiction
Update June 2021: The National Union of People's Lawyers (NUPL) released a report on April 26 with newly analyzed figures. In the last decade, a total of 176 attacks on lawyers were recorded, including 73 murders, the vast majority of which - 54 fatal attacks - fell...
Wave of attacks against local chief executives
Since 2016 the number of local officials being killed has constantly been rising. As of today, the number of killed mayors and vice mayors has reached 25. This is why detained Senator Leila de Lima has filed a Senate Resolution that seeks to further investigate the...
UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders presents her report
At the 46th session of the UN Human Rights Council from February 22 to March 19, 2021, the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights, Mary Lawlor, presented her report on the situation of human rights defenders in member countries of the UN Humans Rights Council, with the...
Crackdown on activists: In “Bloody Sundays” massacre, nine activists killed by state security forces
Past Sunday, March 7, 2021, nine activists have been killed and six arrested in what has been called a massacre by the hand of state security forces. This Sunday will entry in the history books as the "Bloody Sunday". In Calabarzon, equiped with 24 search warrants,...
Amnesty for rebel groups
President Rodrigo Duterte has granted amnesty for the members of several rebel groups for the crimes they committed due to their political beliefs. The rebel groups in question are the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF),...
Amnesty International UK issues report on human rights situation
Amnesty International UK has issued a report urging the UK government to take more measures for human rights defenders worldwide. The report focuses especially on the situation in the Philippines, Afghanistan, Columbia, Egypt, Libya, Russia and Zimbabwe. In regards to...
Pedal for Press Freedom
On February 7, 2021, journalists and press freedom advocates joined together for a Pedal for Press Freedom marking the first year of detention of Tacloban-based journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio. She is being charged, like so many others, with illegal posession of...
Lumad Students “rescued” by the police
Update June 2021: In the course of the “rescue operation” of February 15, seven people (3 students, 2 teachers and 2 community leaders [referred to as “datu” in indigenous Lumad communities in Mindanao]) were arrested, which is now referred to as the “Bakwit School 7”...
Senator De Lima declared innocent in one of three trials
Senator Leila De Lima has been imprisoned since February 2017. She is being accused of being involved in illegal drug trade. De Lima is convinced that these accusations are a reaction to her investigations of Dutertes human rights violations in his bloody war against...
Journalist Lady Ann Salem is free
On March 5, 2021, the journalist Lady Ann Salem and the trade unionist Rodrigo Esparago have finally been released from prison. The accusations of alleged possession of firearms and explosives have been withdrawn and classified as weak. The media group Manila Today...
General Parlade criticised for red-tagging
General Antonio Parlade who is known for uttering accusations has accused Inquirer-journalist Tetch Torresa Tupas in a facebook post on February 2, 2021, of cooperationg with terrorists. He accused her of „helping terrorists to spread lies“. Tupas had merely reported...
Red-Tagging raises growing concerns
International human rights organisations are getting increasingly concerned regarding the red-tagging by the Philippine government. Red-tagging refers to the accusations of having a communist mindset, which, according to the Anti Terror Law of 2020 (ATA) is liable to...
Murder of Zara Alvarez 6 months ago
Almost six months have passed since the murder of Zara Alvarez on August 17, 2020 in Bacolod, Negros. We remain in deep grief and also anger. Still, there are no perpetrators identified. Impunity in the Philippines must come to an end! In this radio piece by Radio...