Legitimization of violence vs rights defenders 'largely attributable' to Duterte's remarks — CHR
MANILA, Philippines — The legitimization of violence against human rights defenders has been made possible by President Rodrigo Duterte’s pronouncements, the Commission of Human Rights said in a report that highlighted the shrinking civic space for and attacks against rights workers under the current administration.
In a report released Friday, the CHR said it found in its fact-finding inquiry held in September 2019 that there is a “systematic attack” against rights defenders across all sectors of civil society.
“Such attack is characterized by a widespread and similar pattern of abhorrent acts, practices, and omissions that put the life, liberty and security of HRDs at great risk. These acts largely remain unabated and HRDs are oftentimes left without any remedy to protect themselves,” the commission said.
At least 104 human rights defenders have been reportedly killed since Duterte assumed presidency.
CHR said the prevailing climate of impunity in the context of violence against rights workers is “largely attributable” to the statements of the chief executive.
“His public statements to the effect that he does not care about human rights, that HRDs should be blamed if the country’s drug problem worsens, that HRDs should be shot if they are obstructing justice, that he will investigate human rights groups for conspiracy, that lawyers defending drug suspects will be the next target of his war on drugs, that we wishes to kill journalism in the country, and that he will target left-wing groups as they are communist fronts, among others, have put targets on the backs of the HRDs,” the commission said.
“The president through his pronouncements created a dangerous fiction that it is legitimate to hunt down and commit atrocities against HRDs because they are enemies of the State. This is evident not only in the way State security forces and other government officials would talk about and treat HRDs, but also in the way ordinary citizens who are extreme supporters of the president would demonize the concept of human rights and HRDs,” it added.
The government’s insidious practice of drawing up lists and matrices of alleged enemies of the state also puts the lives of rights defenders at risk, CHR said.
A report of the United Nations rights office released in June said that vilification of dissent and attacks against perceived critics of the government are being “increasingly institutionalized and normalized in ways that will be very difficult to reverse.”
Shrinking civic space
The inquiry—which heard the testimonies of human rights workers, non-governmental workers and even government officials—showed the “shrinking civic space and the restrictive environment” for rights defenders under the present administration, the commission said.
“The combination of the distortion of human rights, public vilification, red-tagging, profiling, surveilling, militarization of civilian agencies, and weaponization of the law has shrunk civic space to a level that [rights defenders] across all sectors are left with hardly any breathing room to perform their tasks, or even to legitimately exist,” the CHR report found.
The commission said the narrative that rights workers are protectors of criminals has given rise to the painting of rights defenders as coddlers of criminals or criminal themselves, discredits rights issues and fosters a dangerous environment.
CHR also said that red-tagging—or labelling individuals and groups as communists or terrorists—of human rights defenders is a “serious concern” that should not be taken lightly.
“Aside from its consequent delegitimization of dissent and public stigmatization, it is, more often than not, a prelude, or even an open invitation for anyone, to commit further atrocities against the person tagged,” it said.
Karapatan told Philstar.com in 2019 that more individuals and organizations have been subjects of red-tagging since Duterte signed Executive Order 70, which created the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict.
The group said red-tagging by government forces is usually followed by threats through electronic or physical means, surveillance and harassment, arbitrary or illegal arrest and detention, or torture. In some cases, red-tagging also translates to enforced disappearances and even-killings.
On top of its recommendations, CHR urged the government to desist from red-tagging and labelling rights workers as terrorists or enemies of state and publicly acknowledge the legitimacy of the work of rights defenders.
“The role of HRDs in promoting human rights and advocating for change is essential in upholding the fundamental values of a democratic society. Restricting the ability of HRDs and civic society to counter repressive practices is shortsighted and counterproductive to the stability of our democracy,” CHR said.
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