MANILA, Philippines – The European Union (EU) has called on the public “not to lose sight of the plight of human rights defenders” in the Philippines as the incidence of extrajudicial killings in the country continues to rise.
EU Chargé d’Affaires Mattias Lentz said civil society organizations reported to the EU that many human rights defenders in the Philippines were either killed or experienced torture.
“While the number of drug-related killings in the Philippines has recently attracted public and international attention, we should not lose sight of the plight of human rights defenders who continue to work in difficult situations,” Lentz said during the National Summit of Human Rights Defenders held at The Five Hotel and Convention Place in Quezon City on Thursday.
He cited the 2016 Annual Report of the Dublin-based NGO Frontline International showing that 31 human rights defenders were killed in the Philippines in 2015 out of the total 156 killings around the globe.
Two months ago, the EU received a report that Gloria Capitan, a human rights defender with connections to Medical Action Group and the Task Force Detainees of the Philippines (TFDP), was shot dead by two unidentified men in Bataan.
Capitan was known for her fight against open coal storage facilities in her community, which have a severe impact on the environment and on public health.
“We hope that the perpetrators will be brought to justice,” Lentz said.
Lentz noted that promoting the work of human rights defenders constitutes one of the major priorities of the EU’s external and global human rights policy and therefore EU is an ally in the promotion of human rights and democratization.
“The EU believes that the advocacy work of human rights defenders is vital to any democracy,” he added.
The EU has provided support to the project carried out by the Medical Action Group and TFDP on the “Use of Evidence-based Approach to Human Rights Documentation and Monitoring” to which the Human Rights Defenders’ Summit was linked.
Although the project started in 2013, EU’s partnership with these organizations dates back to 2009 when the EU funded projects to protect women and children from torture and to provide services to victims of torture, many of whom are human rights defenders.
Through the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR), the EU supports human rights defenders against repression and abuse, and strives to provide swift assistance to those at risk. It also aims to reinforce their capacities to do their human rights work in the medium and longer term.
The European Commission also manages a small facility to provide ad hoc grants for human rights defenders in need of urgent support.
The EU-funded project carried out by the Medical Action Group and TFDP has contributed to securing justice for human rights abuse victims.
Lentz cited the suspect in the killing of human rights defender Elisa Tulid in 2013 who was arrested and now being tried.
“We are also informed that the ‘grave coercion charges’ levied against farmer-leader Rolando Martinez from Sumalo Hermosa Bataan and several members of his organization have been dismissed by the court this June,” he added.
The EU has contributed to Philippine efforts to further develop the rule of law and access to justice through the EU-Philippines Justice Reform (EPJUST) Program which has just come to an end, and through the Governance in Justice (GOJUST) Program which is about to start.