Amnesty International airs concern over ‘disrespect’ of freedoms

MANILA, Philippines — Human rights group Amnesty International (AI) has expressed “grave concern” over what it described as “crackdown” by the Philippine government against foreign activists in the country.

Citing the Aug. 14 expulsion of Australian lawyer, academic and human rights activist Gill Boehringer, who had visited the Philippines on numerous occasions over the past decade, AI on Friday called on Philippine authorities “to end its harassment of peaceful activists who enter the country and to respect the rights to freedom of expression and assembly of all peaceful activists, including non-nationals.”

Boehringer was expelled by the Bureau of Immigration (BI), citing his participation in “domestic protest actions in the past.”

Boehringer, 84, arrived in the Philippines from Sydney on the evening of Aug. 7. According to his lawyer, immigration agents prevented him from leaving the Ninoy Aquino International Airport as he was on the BI’s “blacklist.”

Boehringer, accoding to his lawyer, had been earlier instructed by the BI to board the earliest flight on Aug. 9 to China, from where he was expected to take a flight to Australia.  

But AI said his doctor expressed serious concerns about having Boehringer fly out of the country so soon, as he had by then developed a serious medical condition and needed treatment.

The Department of Justice (DOJ), however, refused the Australian lawyer’s entry into the Philippines, citing Boehringer’s alleged participation in the mass demonstrations during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in November 2015 and in another rally in February of this year as reasons.?

Boehringer denied participation in the November 2015 protest. He claimed he travelled to southern Philippines in February 2018 to observe educational activities at a school there, but there was no rally or political activity held during his visit.  

His lawyer had said that while he has been “a critic of some of the policies and practices of three successive governments since coming to the Philippines as an International Election Observer in 2007 and 2010,” this should be seen as his “contribution (to) the vibrant national discourse about how democracy can be strengthened, the rule of law protected and social justice ensured.”

Before his expulsion, Boehringer spent a week at the airport. His lawyer claimed Boehringer “has not been informed in writing of the reasons for his expulsion.”

AI stressed “the denial of entry to human rights activists for such reasons obstructs their right to defend human rights and can amount to a denial of their rights to freedom of expression and of peaceful assembly, as guaranteed by international human rights law.”  

Such expulsions also create a negative effect on the exercise of the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly by non-nationals who may now decide to reduce their activities in the country for fear of the action the Philippine authorities might take against them, it added.

The human rights group also stressed that “under international law, states are obliged to treat all persons as equal before the law and without discrimination on any ground, including political or other opinion.”

AI said the expulsion of Boehringer “takes place in the context of other recent denial of entry or expulsions of foreign missionaries and activists because they have allegedly engaged in protest actions in the Philippines in the past.”