[av_one_full first min_height=” vertical_alignment=” space=” custom_margin=” margin=’0px’ padding=’0px’ border=” border_color=” radius=’0px’ background_color=” src=” background_position=’top left’ background_repeat=’no-repeat’ animation=”]
[av_heading heading=’Carte blanche to kill?’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=” av-medium-font-size-title=” av-small-font-size-title=” av-mini-font-size-title=” av-medium-font-size=” av-small-font-size=” av-mini-font-size=” admin_preview_bg=”]
EDITORIAL
[/av_heading]
[av_textblock size=” font_color=” color=” av-medium-font-size=” av-small-font-size=” av-mini-font-size=” admin_preview_bg=”]
January 31, 2018
[/av_textblock]
[av_textblock size=” font_color=” color=” av-medium-font-size=” av-small-font-size=” av-mini-font-size=” admin_preview_bg=”]
WHAT DO we make of President Duterte’s pronouncement that he will now go after progressive and “left-leaning” organizations?
The alarmed human rights alliance Karapatan describes it as showing of the President’s contempt for the exercise of the people’s basic right to freedom of expression, association and assembly, among other civil and political rights, and to any and all forms of opposition.
Is the President summarily dismissing as “enemies of the state” and “communist fronts” the critics of his administration?
This tactic, used by the Marcos dictatorship and subsequent administrations, are acts of desperation and paranoia, according to Karapatan which claimed to have recorded 84 human rights defenders killed under the Duterte administration, many belonging to local peasant and indigenous organizations working towards advocacies on genuine land reform and defense of ancestral lands from big landlords and businesses.
With the martial law in Mindanao and the continuing implementation of the counter-insurgency program Oplan Kapayapaan, human rights violations, extrajudicial killings, illegal arrests, threats and harassments are feared to further worsen due to the President’s latest statement.
It is a cause of concern, to say the least. Making no distinction between armed combatants and civilians gives state forces carte blanche to kill, arrest, threaten and harass anyone, including free speech advocates, unarmed activists, peasants, workers, indigenous peoples, church workers, among others.
Activists are bracing for a season of wholesale killings.
[/av_textblock]
[/av_one_full]
