Amnesty: UN’s failure to continue monitoring 'drug war' in Philippines betrays victims
MANILA, Philippines — The UN Human Rights Council betrayed victims of the ongoing war on drugs in the Philippines by failing to renew the monitoring mandate of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in 2022, according to Amnesty International’s human rights country report.
The human rights watchdog said that the OHCHR’s failure to continue scrutinizing the Philippines’ human rights situation after October 2022 ran counter to a recommendation by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.
The UN “betrayed the countless victims of the 'war on drugs' in the Philippines by failing to renew OHCHR’s monitoring mandate, despite a disturbing increase in police killings during anti-drug operations during the year,” the report said.
Although the report noted that the joint UN human rights capacity-building and technical assistance program continued, it also criticized its lack of progress in key areas.
In January, the Human Rights Watch (HRW) said violent anti-illegal drug operations were still happening under the administration of President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.
Despite the president saying that his administration would pursue a rehabilitative approach to drug users, “nothing has changed,” the HRW deputy Asia director Phil Robertson said.
READ: 'Nothing's changed': Watchdog says 'drug war' killings continue under Marcos
A study conducted by Dahas, a program under the University of the Philippines' Third World Studies Center, through analysis of police and media reports showed that there were more drug-related killings in July, the first month of the Marcos Jr. presidency, compared to June, the last month of the Duterte administration.
The Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Court decided on Tuesday to turn down the Marcos administration’s appeal to suspend the investigation of the tribunal’s prosecutor into the alleged crimes against humanity committed under Duterte’s “war on drugs.”
Threats to media, red-tagging still persistent
The Amnesty International report also pointed out that the new administration has failed to usher in an immediate safer environment for media practitioners with two journalists killed and others facing a slew of charges in the second half of 2022.
Red-tagging of critical organizations and individuals also continued, with “public accusations of links to communist groups… marking them out for arbitrary detention and unlawful killing.”
“Repression of dissent intensified and freedom of expression was further restricted as human rights defenders, political activists, journalists and others were subjected to unlawful killings, arbitrary arrest and detention,” Amnesty stated.
As part of its recommendations, Amnesty urged governments to ensure the protection of individuals’ rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.
The human rights body also said that the work of human rights defenders “must be respected and protected and a safe and enabling environment for their work ensured.” — Cristina Chi with reports from Gaea Cabico and Xave Gregorio
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