EU Member States Should Act on Philippines Abuses Support at UN Human Rights Council Crucial to Establish International Inquiry Last year, European Union member states at the United Nations Human Rights Council voted decisively in support of a resolution mandating the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to report on grave rights abuses in the…
Philippines Uses ‘Drug War’ Tactics to Fight Covid-19 Police to Go House-to-House, Rely on Neighbor Reporting By Phil Robertson Deputy Asia Director Human Rights Watch @reaproy The Philippine government announced this week that police will conduct house-to-house searches for people who might have been infected with the novel coronavirus and then forcibly relocate them to…
Philippines: Rappler Verdict a Blow to Media Freedom Manila Court Convicts Duterte Critic Maria Ressa for Libel (Manila, June 15, 2020) – The conviction of a prominent journalist for criminal libel is a devastating blow to media freedom in the Philippines, Human Rights Watch said today. On June 15, 2020, a Manila court issued a…
HRW reaction to the violation of quarantine rules by Metro Manila police chief: Metro Manila’s police chief Maj. Gen. Debold Sinas should be disciplined for his flagrant violation of the Philippines’ strict quarantine and lockdown regulations. His superiors should not allow Sinas to play this double standard game, where he celebrates his birthday with friends…
Philippines: Put Network Back on Air Duterte Should Rescind ABS-CBN Shutdown; Congress Should Renew License (Manila, May 7, 2020) – Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte should rescind an order to shut down ABS-CBN, the country’s largest broadcast television and radio network, Human Rights Watch said today. The House of Representatives, whose inaction on bills to renew…
Human Rights Watch’s reaction to the increasing incidents of law enforcers and government officials mistreating Filipinos during the lockdown The Philippines government should immediately rein in out of control law enforcers and public officials committing rights abuses while they enforce Covid-19 quarantine and lockdown regulations. Even before the incident in Dasmarinas Village, Makati City, there…
Philippine Government Misusing Covid-19 Law Against Critics Activists Charged with Sedition, ‘Fake News’ By Carlos H. Conde Philippine authorities are increasingly using the Covid-19 pandemic and new public health restrictions as an excuse to charge political opponents and activists with criminal offenses. The latest targets were seven activists trying to distribute food aid last week…
HRW calls for release of Cebu writer arrested for FB post Human Rights Watch views with concern the arrest of Cebu City-based writer and actor Bambi Beltran, allegedly for violating the law on “false information.” Her arrest is a case of government officials misapplying the law. Her post on Facebook — “9,000 + new cases…
Quote from HRW on the outbreak of coronavirus inside the Quezon City Jail: Finding that the coronavirus has infected 18 inmates and personnel at the Quezon City Jail shows why it’s so critical the government actively pursues early release of detainees charged with low-level, nonviolent offenses, as well as the sick and older inmates. The…
Human Rights Watch statement on the positive response by Philippine authorities to the call for the early release of qualified inmates as part of COVID19 intervention: Human Rights Watch is heartened that Philippine authorities have responded to the call by several groups calling on the government to release inmates in its prisons who face low-level…
Philippines: Reduce Crowded Jails to Stop COVID-19 Release Low-Level Offenders; Prioritize Older and Ill Prisoners (Manila, April 7, 2020) – Philippine authorities, to stem the COVID-19 outbreak, should release from the country’s overcrowded jails and prison inmates who have been detained or convicted for low-level and non-violent offenses, Human Rights Watch said today. They should…
Philippine Authorities Go After Media, Online Critics Misuse of COVID-19 Law as Dozens Face Probes, Backlash By Carlos H. Conde Researcher, Asia Division Human Rights Watch @condeHRW The Philippine government is cracking down on journalists and social media users critical of the government’s COVID-19 response, threatening media freedom and the rights to free expression and…
Young People Locked in Dog Cages, Coffins, Stripped Naked By Margaret Wurth and Carlos H. Conde Philippine authorities have subjected children to absurdly abusive treatment for violating curfew and quarantine rules imposed to limit exposure to COVID-19. Police and local officials in several parts of the country have mistreated people detained for violating COVID-19 regulations,…
COVID-19 Response Should Respect Detainee Rights (Manila, March 26, 2020) – Philippine authorities should respect the basic rights of people detained for violating the government’s COVID-19 regulations, Human Rights Watch said today. Police and local officials have confined those arrested to dog cages and forced them to sit in the midday sun as punishment, among…
Human Rights Watch statement on Section 6 (6) of the “Bayanihan to Heal as One Act” signed by President Duterte on March 24, 2020: Section 6 (6) of the law punishes “individuals or groups creating, perpetuating, or spreading false information regarding the COVID-19 crisis on social media and other platforms, such information having no valid…
Dispatches: The Philippine Picture of Badjao Displacement By Carlos H. Conde The striking image of a Filipino girl – a member of the indigenous Badjao tribe – begging in the streets of Lucban, a town in Quezon province south of Manila, has gone viral in the Philippines and prompted a flood of public concern and…
Duterte Harry Has Been Dirty For a Long Time The new president of the Philippines has been bragging about murdering “criminals” for at least a decade. By Phelim Kine Deputy Director, Asia Division Human Rights Watch https://www.hrw.org/news/2016/05/17/duterte-harry-has-been-dirty-long-time In May 2015, Rodrigo Duterte invited my colleagues and I for some rest and relaxation in Davao City,…
Philippines: Soldiers Stand Aside While Paramilitaries Attack Villagers, Students Military claims of ‘tribal war’ and denials of complicity fall flat when troops do nothing (Manila, September 24, 2015) – The Philippine military has repeatedly stood aside while paramilitary forces have attacked indigenous villages and schools in the southern region of Mindanao, Human Rights Watch said…
Philippines: New Police Chief Should Tackle Abuses Action Needed on Torture, Extrajudicial Killings (Manila, Sept. 2, 2015) – The Philippine National Police should hold to account all police officers responsible for human rights violations, Human Rights Watch said today in a letter to the police chief, Director General Ricardo Marquez. President Benigno Aquino III appointed…
Philippines: New Military Chief Should Ensure Rights Reforms General Iriberri Should Reform Discredited Rights Office; Hold All Violators to Account (Manila, August 5, 2015) – The Philippine military should take all necessary and appropriate action to prevent abuses by its personnel and to ensure accountability for human rights violators, Human Rights Watch said today in…
