Press release
April 4, 2022

“Former Presidential Spokesperson and now Senatorial candidate Harry Roque has turned immediately to red tagging international human rights advocates when we called him out for the deadly practice of red tagging,” said ICHRP Chairperson Peter Murphy in Sydney today in response to Roque’s outburst last Saturday.

“Roque has made the preposterous but dangerous claim that the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines is a ‘legal front’ for the Communist Party of the Philippines and the New People’s Army. Sadly this is a routine red tagging applied to any Filipino who advocates for land reform, workers’ rights, environmental protection or the rights of Indigenous Peoples, and it has led to 427 political killings during Duterte’s presidency up to the end of 2021. Now it is applied to foreigners,” said Mr Murphy.

“Roque used his attack on ICHRP to red tag the Bayan-Muna Party List and the BAYAN alliance of people’s organisations, mistakenly claiming that BAYAN is a member of ICHRP. ICHRP member organizations are all based outside the Philippines, and are organizations of non-Filipino citizens, including churches, trade unions, and lawyers’ associations,” said Mr Murphy.

In June 2020, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Ms Michelle Bachelet reported to the UN Human Rights Council:

“While numerous statements by President Duterte are subsequently clarified by his spokesperson and other officials as not to be taken literally, the widespread killings, detentions, red-tagging and score-settling by State actors, including in the campaign against illegal drugs, suggest that his public comments may have incited violence and may have had the effect of encouraging, backing or even ordering human rights violations with impunity. The use of such language could amount to a violation of the prohibition against arbitrary deprivation of life in Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.” (p. 15)

As Presidential Spokesperson, Harry Roque did much ‘clarifying’ of the President’s incitements, and justified the withdrawal of the Philippines from the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court. In November 2021, the Philippine government nomination of Roque, a supposedly former human right lawyer, to the UN International Law Commission was rejected. 

Further comment: Peter Murphy +61 418 312 301 chairperson@ichrp.net

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Press Release
April 2, 2022

“The global civil society coalition ICHRP launched its ‘Dirty Dozen’ campaign for targeted sanctions against top Philippine government officials on March 29, 2022, and within two days Malacañang Place has responded with its characteristic allergic reaction to any international criticism,” said ICHRP Chairperson Peter Murphy in Sydney today.

“Acting presidential spokesperson Martin Andanar was right to say we are ‘naming and shaming’ but he has no excuse to claim he is ‘baffled’ or that we are ‘misusing’ the available Magnitsky laws,” said Mr Murphy.

“Our ‘Dirty Dozen’ campaign would never have been necessary if there was any credible judicial action on perpetrators of human rights violations in the Philippines,” said Mr Murphy, “and sadly the Palace claim that these massive violations have never been brought to their attention is just another case of brazen rejection of responsibility for their actions.”

INVESTIGATE PH’s three Reports in 2021 covered more than 50 emblematic cases of human rights violations that occurred largely in 2020 and 2021; … violations of civil and political rights and IHL (International Humanitarian Law) carried out by the Duterte administration since 2016; and violations of economic, social, cultural and other collective rights. The Reports draw on the testimonies of survivors and witnesses, relatives of victims, human rights advocates with direct knowledge of state violence, and expert witnesses or resource persons working with peasants, trade unions, women, churches, community organizing, economics, political advocacy and peace negotiations.

In June 2020, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Ms Michelle Bachelet reported:

“Persistent impunity for human rights violations is stark and the practical obstacles to accessing justice within the country are almost insurmountable. Human rights advocacy is routinely equated with insurgency and the focus diverted to discrediting the messengers rather than examining the substance of the message…

“Given the widespread and systematic nature of the alleged killings, and the failure of domestic mechanisms to ensure accountability thus far, there have been strong calls for an international accountability mechanism. In June 2019, a group of 11 Special Procedures mandate-holders called on the Human Rights Council to establish an independent investigation. … The High Commissioner again emphasizes the need for independent, impartial and effective investigations into the killings and stands ready to assist credible efforts towards accountability at the national and international level.”

ICHRP points to the decision of the International Criminal Court in September 2021 to investigate Philippine government officials for the crime against humanity of murder. “This demonstrates that nothing has improved, despite the claims of the Acting Presidential Spokesperson,” said Mr Murphy.

“Our ‘Dirty Dozen’ campaign will mobilize civil society to work with the parliaments and congresses of the USA, Canada, the European Union, UK, Japan and Australia to take action on these grave human rights violations, in parallel with the ICC.”

Further comment: Peter Murphy +61 418 312 301 chairperson@ichrp.net 

Press Release
March 29, 2022

“The state of terror created by the Duterte regime is at the heart of this sanctions campaign. There is overwhelming evidence that the Duterte government has been responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of people. National governments must act to sanction those who commit serious human rights violations to hold the architects of this terror to account” – Senator Janet Rice, Australian Greens.

Today the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP) launched a global Magnitsky Sanctions Campaign Against Philippine Human Rights Violators. The purpose of the Magnitsky Campaign is to work with national governments in Australia, Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union to hold human rights violators accountable. Magnitsky sanctions range from travel bans to targeted financial sanctions against individuals who are “perpetrators of egregious acts of international concern”. 

The Magnitsky Laws call for sanctions against any foreign nationals responsible for violations of internationally recognized human rights in a foreign country when authorities in that country are unable or unwilling to conduct a thorough, independent and objective investigation of the violations; the law provides for the taking of restrictive measures in respect of foreign nationals responsible for gross violations of internationally recognized human rights. 

The Magnitsky campaign is a direct follow up to the work of the INVESTIGATE PH Commission of 2021 which identified patterns of gross and systemic human rights violations including crimes against humanity perpetrated by the Duterte Regime.  In the absence so far of genuine accountability for these crimes through international mechanisms, such as the International Criminal Court and the UN Human Rights Council, ICHRP is launching a global campaign under national Magnitsky Acts to hold those responsible accountable for these widely documented crimes. 

The sanctions campaign targets 12 individuals who were either 

• Architects of the war on drugs and campaign of state terror (Rodrigo Duterte, and Ronald “Bato” De La Rosa);
• Part of the command-and-control structure of the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines when rights violations by these state institutions allegedly took place (Gen. Diebold Sinas, General Jose Faustino Jr., General Hermogenes Esperon Jr., Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr, Delfin Negrillo Lorenzana  and Genral Eduardo Año); or
• Part of the infrastructure of terror in the Duterte administration and participated in the public orchestration of alleged state repression (Bong Go, Harry Roque, Judge Cecilyn Burgos-Villavert and Lorraine Badoy). 

From across the globe ICHRP has received expressions of concern about the Human rights situation in the Philippines. Former Senator Lee Rhiannon of the Australian Greens noted that “…from Australia we have watched with concern the unfolding human rights tragedy in the Philippines. With frightening efficiency, the Duterte government has unleashed a state terror on the Filipino People routinely committing rights violations. The institutions that are supposed to uphold the law have given a free pass to the violators ensuring none face consequences. In the absence of justice, in the absence of domestic and international accountability, the proposed Magnitsky measures would afford some level of justice for those guilty of these heinous crimes.

Canadian Rev. Dr. Christopher Ferguson, the past Secretary General World Council of Reformed Churches, expressed similar concerns “…the Duterte regime has been a serial human rights violator committing crimes against humanity. Its war in Mindanao against the Moro People, in addition to its wars on terror and dissent have killed thousands. There is as yet no accountability for this state of terror. Those responsible have not faced justice. The least that can be done is to have states with Magnitsky Laws stand up and bring a small measure of justice to the perpetrators of these crimes.”

Through the Magnitsky Sanctions Campaign ICHRP will work with national parliaments and legislatures to take appropriate measures against these individuals for their planning, participation and responsibility for crimes against humanity.   

Media inquires can be sent to:  

Peter Murphy, Chairperson, ICHRP Global Council +61 418 312 301 chairperson@ichrp.net.

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