Palace assures: No war on human rights defenders

MALACAÑANG on Thursday, February 28, slammed the report of an international human rights watchdog about the supposed surge in the killings, attacks, and harassment of human rights defenders who are critical of President Rodrigo Duterte's administration.

Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo described the report of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders as "recycled and rubbish" considering some of the information came from local rights group Karapatan which he said is "biased" against the Duterte government.

The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a partnership of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and World Organization Against Torture (OMCT), reported an increase in incidents of human rights defenders being killed, attacked, threatened and harassed by the Duterte government.

"We find nothing new in the report of The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders. One of their references and sources of information is Karapatan, a member of the OMCT network that has been historically biased against the government, so we do not expect a fair and objective assessment," he said.

"The report is but recycled rubbish based on information peddled by the usual critiques of government, such as Karapatan, who must do so to remain relevant and to generate funds to exist from gullible sources abroad," he added.

The report noted that around 76 land and environmental rights defenders, 12 journalist, and eight labor-rights acvitists were murdered from July 2016 to November 2018.

It also cited the harassment of the Commission on Human Rights and its mandate being questioned.

Panelo said the report was a mere "rehash of old issues" thrown against Duterte and his administration.

He stressed that while it was true that the President’s words may be "hurtful" to some quarters, including human rights defenders, these are actually zeroed in on "those who mock and derail the President’s efforts towards creating a society free from drugs, crime and corruption."

"We reiterate that there is no such thing as a war against human rights defenders. There is only one against criminals, including drug pushers, and their protectors," the Palace official said.

"Having said this, we remain grateful to our people for realizing what true human rights advocacy is from the perspective of the President. As we reach the midpoint of his presidential term, [Duterte] remains the most approved and the most trusted Filipino official in the Philippines," he added.

Disputing the report, Panelo said the democratic space for free expression, by way of words or actions that do not call for violence or the overthrowing of the government, "remains wide under the Duterte administration."

He guaranteed that the public still enjoys the freedom of expression stated under thr 1987 Constitution and defined by the Philippines's obligations as state party to relevant international human rights treaties, such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

The Palace official then challenged the FIDH and the OMCT to formally bring all their documented cases before the Philippine government "to settle this matter once and for all."

"File all cases and let’s be done with it. In the absence of this, the allegations will remain unfounded and politically motivated untruths aimed at shaming the Philippine government before the international community," he said. (SunStar Philippines)

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