News
Updates on the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020
Update May 2022 - All petitions rejected: On March 2, 2022, the majority of the original petitioners re-filed a joint motion to review the entire Anti-Terrorism Act and some specific sections. On April 26, 2022, the Supreme Court (SC) ruled its final decision on the...
Lady Ann Salem still imprisoned
The journalist Lady Ann Salem who was detained during Duterte's wave of arrests on the International Human Rights day has still not been released. If she were to be pronounced guilty of the charges against her she would be facing several years of imprisonment. Several...
Massacre of Indigenous Tumandok
Police and military joined forces on 30th December and killed nine leaders of the indigenous Tumandok in the provinces Capiz and Iloilo. Sixteen others were arrested. The police justified the killings by stating the victims were resisting against the search and arrest...
Human Rights situation has further deteriorated during the pandemic
After four years of enormous efforts the Philippine Commission of Human rights (CHR) has finally been granted access to nearly 2000 files of killings caused by state security forces through the "War on drugs". These files merely account for 24% of the total number of...
End of accord between government and University of the Philippines
On January 18th, the Department of Defence unilaterally terminated the accord with the University of the Philippines from 1989, according to which the military has no access to their campuses. The academic institution was vilified as a "save hafen" for terrorist,...
Roundtable discussion with Maria Ressa about documantary film “A thousand cuts”
In light of the recently released documentary “A thousand cuts” which follows Maria Ressa, journalist and CEO of rappler, Christiane Amanpour talked with film maker Ramona Diaz and Maria Ressa about disinformation and its consequences for the people. The documentary...
Constant vilification of Sarah Elago
Sarah Elago, the youngest member of the Filipino Congress ever has been subject of numerous diffamation attacks during all of 2020. She has been red-tagged with the use of manipulated photographs in the social networks so she nowadays gets nervous if anybody is asking...
Inquirer reports on human rights activity of the Germany-based NGO philippinenbüro
Human rights defenders and rights activists have gathered in front of the cathedral of Cologne, Germany on 10th December. The philippinenbüro e.V. which is based in Cologne organised the protest in order to remember the many victims of human rights violations in the...
EU Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy sanctions human rights abuses
On Monday, December 7, 2020 the EU foreign ministers approved a mechanism that allows member countries to sanction individuals and organizations responsible for human rights abuses. The new mechanism, which is similiar to the US American "Magnitsky Act" gives EU...
Peace Talks: Duterte says there will be no more truce with communist rebels
On 7th December President Duterte said in his weekly address that during the rest of his term there will be no more truce with the communist rebels. Traditionally, both sides would agree on a ceasefire during the holiday season. Duterte says, the ceasefire died when...
Wave of arrests on International Human Rights day
The International Human Rights Day in the Philippines was marked by a wave of arrests. Among the victims was journalist Lady Anne Salem who was working for the red tagged alternative news site Manila Today. All have been arrested for alleged posession of firearms....
Human Rights Defender Amanda Echanis imprisoned with her baby
Amanda Echanis, daughter of Randall Echanis, who was murdered this year in August was arrested on 2nd December together with her one month old baby- for alleged posession of firearms and explosives. The organisation Anakpawis claims that these were false allegations....
ICC finds “basis to believe” Duterte’s drug war caused crimes against humanity
The International Criminal Court ICC has been investigating the human rights violations in the Philippines since the opening of preliminary investigations of the killings by police in the context of the so-called war on drugs in February 2018 by ICC's chief prosecutor...
Duterte distances himself from narco-list
While his family and friends mourn the death of slain Mayor Cesar Perez President Duterte claims that he had nothing to do with the so called "narco-list" which is believed to be responsible for Perez' death. The "narco-list" is a list containing the names of several...
CIVICUS report downgrades Phillipines from “obstructed” to “repressed”
CIVICUS Monitor, the Global research collaboration that tracks fundamental freedoms in 196 countries has just published their annual report “People Under Attack” 2020. In this report, CIVICUS has downgraded the Philippines from “obstructed” to “repressed”. Civic...
Duterte speaks at Human Rights Summit
On december 7th the Human Rights Summit organised by the department of Justice opened its doors. President Duterte said in his speech that he was proud that the Philippines signed many of the world’s core human rights treaties. Numerous organisations are criticising...
Arte Documentation: Human Rights Violations in the Philippines
The restrictions due to COVID-19 result in lesser documentation of the human rights situation in the Philippines as local NGOs can hardly continue their work. Carsten Stormer, a Manila based journalist, has now provided one of the view reportings on civil and...
More journalists killed in the Philippines
The number of journalists killed since Duterte came into power 2016 is constantly growing. Within the last two weeks there have been two assassinations, raising the total number to 19. On November 10th Virgilio Maganes from Pangasinan was shot several times by...
„War on Drugs“
Amid the pandemic, it has been difficult to document human rights violations in the context of the so-called war on drugs. People who would usually do so when they hear about a case of extrajudicial killing by taking photographs or interviewing the families of the...
Urgency Resolution on the situation in the Philippines in the European Parliament
Since late 2014, the Philippines is a beneficiary of the EU trade preferences given under the GSP+ scheme which are tied to the compliance with 27 international treaties, including 7 human rights conventions. On September 16, 2020, the European Parliament adopted an...