HUMAN rights advocates condemned the ongoing repression in the Philippines and demanded the resumption of former President Rodrigo Duterte's hearing before the International Criminal Court (ICC) within the year.
In an emailed statement yesterday, the Duterte Panagutin Campaign Network announced that it will hold a protest action today, September 23, at 9:00 am (3:00 pm Philippine Time) in The Hague, The Netherlands.
Kim Berry, Chairperson of Anakbayan-United Kingdom, said the protests of the young Filipinos last Sunday only showed the extent of their anger.
"Our anger is legitimate against a system that is corrupt and unleashes violence on the people every single day," Berry told reporters yesterday in a press conference organized by the Duterte Panagutin-Europe and the Philippines Networks at The Hague, September 22.
According to the Alliance for the Advancement of People’s Rights (Karapatan), some 219 rallyists were arrested by the police last Sunday. This includes 95 minors and one protest marshal/paralegal officer of the group who was responding to the scene when they were arrested.
In the same joint press conference, Karapatan Secretary General Cristina Palabay said the riots were not sparked by a single Molotov cocktail or a single stone thrown at the police.
She said it was the result of years of injustice, years of suppressed anger, and years of watching politicians grow richer while the poor grow poorer.
“We were hoping that Marcos would prioritize making corrupt politicians accountable, pero inuna mo pang kasuhan ang mga kabataang nagpoprotesta,” Palabay said.
She cited the recent pronouncements of the Marcos administration referring to the arrested rioters as “terrorists,” which can be filed charges under the Anti-Terrorism Law.
Sadia Khan of the Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development said solidarity gives protection to those at risk.
“Across the region, we see the same tactics of supposed ‘counter-terrorist’ laws, red-tagging of activists, silencing of journalists, and women are disproportionately targeted,” Khan said.
For his part, Drew Miller, secretary general of the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines, said state violence leaves vulnerable groups in “private hands.”
Lawyer Krissy Conti, secretary general of the National Union of People’s Lawyers–NCR, reiterated the right of the people to peaceably assemble to address grievances to the government.
“It was the police and largely the government (that) have not shown maximum tolerance as required by law. All of these have been a reaction to state violence,” said Conti.
Conti added that their group will be extending all forms of legal support for the arrested youth.
The Duterte Panagutin Campaign Network also expressed its continuing commitment to ensuring Duterte's hearing takes place soon and condemned the postponement.
“Justice cannot be postponed just because of the postponement of Duterte’s confirmation hearing. We remain committed (to) ensuring that the hearing happens at the soonest possible time,” Palabay said.
She pointed out that Duterte is the first Asian president to be arrested and stands trial before the ICC on charges of crimes against humanity.
“For us, this is a litmus test,” said Palabay.
For Migrante-Europe Chairperson Gary Martinez, the protest actions in the Philippines and in Europe last Sunday showed the “collective anger” of Filipinos.
“If the Duterte camp thinks that the people will be demoralized because of this postponement, they are wrong,” Martinez said.
