Filipinos protest against government attacks on human rights activists in the capital Manila (March 8, 2021)
,…
UN officials have condemned the wanton killing of nine Filipino activists earlier this week. They believe it appears to be a coordinated police and military operation.
This is not the first Time such killings have occurred in the Philippines. Last Dec. 30, nine Tumandok indigenous rights activists were killed in a similar joint operation on the Philippine island of Panay.
This latest joint police and military operation resulted in the deaths of eight men and one woman, the UN human rights office said.
Spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said the police obtained a search warrant. They said they were carrying out a government crackdown on the Communist Party of the Philippines’ armed wing, the New People’s Army.
Shamdasani said security forces entered the activists’ homes late at night and shot them dead.
Shamdasani said the use of deadly force by the police and military in operations with little impunity is appalling and must stop.
We are deeply concerned that these killings show an escalation of violence, intimidation and harassment, as well as the ‘red labeling’ of human rights defenders,” Shamdasani said. Human rights promoters have a history of being red-tagged or accused of being part of the armed factional front of the Communist Party of the Philippines.”
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michele Bachelet warned last June of the dangers of such public labeling. She asked the Philippines to protect human rights defenders, journalists and others at risk.
Shamdasani said Bachelet’s call was not reciprocated. She said dozens of activists and several journalists have been arrested, intimidated and harassed in the wake of Bachelet’s appeal.
Recent Comments