Philippines among top HR ‘countries of concern’

BAGUIO CITY , Philippines  —    Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Guatemala, Afghanistan and the Philippines were named “countries of concern” by global alliance CIVICUS during the 41st session of the United Nation Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva, Switzerland on Wednesday.

CIVICUS, an international non-profit organization, describes itself as a global alliance dedicated to strengthening citizen action and civil society around the world.    

Founded in 1993, it has members in more than 145 countries. Its headquarters is in Johannesburg, South Africa with offices in London, Geneva and New York.

In a statement, CIVICUS urged the UNHRC to take action on account of the worsening human rights violations in these countries, as it expressed concern over the grave situation in Sudan.

It also called on the UNHRC to take steps to address the crisis by establishing a fact-finding mission to monitor, verify and report on the situation to prevent further bloodshed and ensure that the perpetrators of atrocities are held to account.

On Saudi Arabia, CIVICUS said it worries how human rights defenders face continued unwarranted detention in the kingdom.

“Saudi Arabia is not above (HRC) scrutiny and we reiterate calls on the council to establish a monitoring mechanism over human rights violations in the country and call explicitly for the immediate and unconditional release of the detained Saudi women human rights defenders.”

CIVICUS also claimed human rights defenders in Guatemala are being criminalized and harassed.  

Cases filed against Claudia Pineda and Jose Cabrera are illustrative of the authorities’ growing intolerance of independent dissent, including of those working on land and environmental defense, the international group added.  

“This is just one example of targeted reprisals leveled against civil society organizations and human rights defenders that have mobilized against a series of attacks on Guatemala’s democratic institutional framework,” CIVICUS said.

Civic space in Afghanistan remains under serious threat, CIVICUS also told the UNHRC.

Violence against and arbitrary arrest of human rights defenders and journalists by state and non-state actors continues, CIVICUS claimed.   

Restricted space for women and limited participation of women, civil society and victims’ groups in the peace processes threaten to undermine and roll back all hard-won gains, the group added.

CIVICUS also showed its concern about the situation in the Philippines.   

“Despite progress on a bill to protect human rights defenders, the situation on the ground remains dire,” it said.

The group added that dozens of activists have been killed since 2016 under the Duterte administration.

“The work of (civic society organizations), media and human rights defenders have been severely undermined by smear campaigns by the government,” CIVICUS said.

Labor sector

For its part, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) yesterday dismissed as illusionary a report rating the Philippines the lowest among countries in protecting the rights of workers.

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said the report of International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) was baseless and lacking in evidence to prove killings and attacks against labor leaders.

“The ITUC is claiming 43 cases of labor leaders being killed. Unfortunately, they cannot even name one of them, when, where or what were the causes of death,” Bello said in an interview.

Bello added that the number is imaginary and illusionary or black propaganda.

“I don’t know what their intentions are, but I really take exception,” Bello added.

Based on government data, Bello said, there were over 60 labor officers and members killed from 2003 to 2016. But under the Duterte administration, there were four trade unionists killed and only one case of frustrated homicide.

The DOLE chief dared the ITUC to name just one of the alleged 43 trade unionists killed and cite where or when he or she was killed. – With Mayen Jaymalin