The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
Edited News , Press Conferences | OHCHR
OHCHR Press conference: Report on Human rights in the Philippines
Storyline of the edited story:
At a virtual press Conference Ravina Shamdasani, Philippines Report Team Leader, UN Human Rights Office, Bangkok and Rory Mungoven, Chief Asia Pacific Section, UN Human Rights Office, Geneva, briefed journalist on Release of report mandated by UN Human Rights Council (Resolution 41/2) on the situation of human rights in the Philippines.
A heavy-handed focus on countering national security threats and illegal drugs has resulted in serious human rights violations in the Philippines, including killings and arbitrary detentions, as well as the vilification of dissent, a new report by the UN Human Rights Office said Thursday. Persistent impunity and formidable barriers to accessing justice need to be urgently addressed, the report said.
The report, which was mandated by a UN Human Rights Council resolution, noted that many of the human rights concerns it has documented are long-standing, but have become more acute in recent years.
SOUNDBITE (English)— Rory Mungoven, Chief Asia Pacific Section, UN Human Rights Office, Geneva: “Although the government opposed the Human Rights Council resolution that mandated this report. We have been pleased that there has been a surprising degree of cooperation from the government in the preparation of the report.
SOUNDBITE (English)— Rory Mungoven, Chief Asia Pacific Section, UN Human Rights Office, Geneva: “So as a result, much of the material in the report is, in fact drawn from government sources, from official documents, from official statements and from the information and responses they provided to us.”
SOUNDBITE (English)— Ravina Shamdasani, Ravina Shamdasani, Philippines Report Team Leader, UN Human Rights Office, Bangkok: “And also, we were able to meet with many of the government representatives here in Bangkok, myself and a colleague who was working on the report. And we had two very intense, full days of candid discussions about the human rights situation in the Philippines, where we heard their perspective. We put allegations to them. And it was it was a very rich exchange.”
There has been near impunity for these killings, with only one conviction for the killing of a drug suspect in a police operation since mid-2016, the report stated.
SOUNDBITE (English)— Ravina Shamdasani, Ravina Shamdasani, Philippines Report Team Leader, UN Human Rights Office, Bangkok: “What we have found is that even by the most conservative figure, and which our government estimates at least eight thousand six hundred and sixty three people have been killed since mid 2016. In the context of this, some so-called war on drugs. This includes five thousand six hundred people who were killed in police operations and a further 3000 that the police say were killed in drug related homicides.”
The phenomenon of “red-tagging” – labelling individuals or groups (including human rights defenders and NGOs) as communists or terrorists – has posed a serious threat to civil society and freedom of expression.
SOUNDBITE (English)— Ravina Shamdasani, Ravina Shamdasani, Philippines Report Team Leader, UN Human Rights Office, Bangkok: “This this issue of red tagging has been a longstanding one in the Philippines. Now, this is very damaging and very dangerous, particularly because in the Philippines, we have documented that, at least two hundred and forty-eight human rights defenders, lawyers, trade unionists and journalists have been killed over the past five years. This is not a small number. And a lot of these individuals were ranked red tagged prior to their killing.”
SOUNDBITE (English)— Ravina Shamdasani, Ravina Shamdasani, Philippines Report Team Leader, UN Human Rights Office, Bangkok: “The widespread killings, detentions, red tagging and score settling by state actors, including in the campaign against illegal drugs, suggests that these 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 the arbitrary deprivation of life, as has been set out in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights”
SOUNDBITE (English)— Ravina Shamdasani, Ravina Shamdasani, Philippines Report Team Leader, UN Human Rights Office, Bangkok: “And the International Criminal Court, for its part, is conducting a preliminary examination of the situation in the Philippines.”
SOUNDBITE (English)— Ravina Shamdasani, Ravina Shamdasani, Philippines Report Team Leader, UN Human Rights Office, Bangkok: “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.”
The report is based on 893 written submissions, substantial input from the Government of the Philippines, analysis of legislation, police reports, court documents, videos, photos and other open source material, as well as interviews with victims and witnesses. It is due to be discussed at the next UN Human Rights Council session in Geneva.
Shot list ot the edited story:
- SOUNDBITE (English)— Rory Mungoven, Chief Asia Pacific Section, UN Human Rights Office, Geneva: “Although the government opposed the Human Rights Council resolution that mandated this report. We have been pleased that there has been a surprising degree of cooperation from the government in the preparation of the report.”
- SOUNDBITE (English)— Rory Mungoven, Chief Asia Pacific Section, UN Human Rights Office, Geneva: “So as a result, much of the material in the report is, in fact drawn from government sources, from official documents, from official statements and from the information and responses they provided to us.”
- SOUNDBITE (English)— Ravina Shamdasani, Ravina Shamdasani, Philippines Report Team Leader, UN Human Rights Office, Bangkok: “And also, we were able to meet with many of the government representatives here in Bangkok, myself and a colleague who was working on the report. And we had two very intense, full days of candid discussions about the human rights situation in the Philippines, where we heard their perspective. We put allegations to them. And it was it was a very rich exchange.”
- SOUNDBITE (English)— Ravina Shamdasani, Ravina Shamdasani, Philippines Report Team Leader, UN Human Rights Office, Bangkok: “What we have found is that even by the most conservative figure, and which our government estimates at least eight thousand six hundred and sixty three people have been killed since mid 2016. In the context of this, some so-called war on drugs. This includes five thousand six hundred people who were killed in police operations and a further 3000 that the police say were killed in drug related homicides.”
- SOUNDBITE (English)— Ravina Shamdasani, Ravina Shamdasani, Philippines Report Team Leader, UN Human Rights Office, Bangkok: “This issue of red tagging has been a longstanding one in the Philippines. Now, this is very damaging and very dangerous, particularly because in the Philippines, we have documented that, at least two hundred and forty-eight human rights defenders, lawyers, trade unionists and journalists have been killed over the past five years. This is not a small number. And a lot of these individuals were ranked red tagged prior to their killing.”
- SOUNDBITE (English)— Ravina Shamdasani, Ravina Shamdasani, Philippines Report Team Leader, UN Human Rights Office, Bangkok: “The widespread killings, detentions, red tagging and score settling by state actors, including in the campaign against illegal drugs, suggests that these 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 the arbitrary deprivation of life, as has been set out in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights”
- SOUNDBITE (English)— Ravina Shamdasani, Ravina Shamdasani, Philippines Report Team Leader, UN Human Rights Office, Bangkok: “And the International Criminal Court, for its part, is conducting a preliminary examination of the situation in the Philippines.”
- SOUNDBITE (English)— Ravina Shamdasani, Ravina Shamdasani, Philippines Report Team Leader, UN Human Rights Office, Bangkok: “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.”
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights spokeperson Jeremy Laurence appealed for calm in Pakistan-Administered Kashmir amid a wave of unrest ahead of regional elections at the end of the month.
1
1
1
Edited News | WFP
UN humanitarians working in war-torn Sudan warned on Friday of growing dramatic needs among the more than 100,000 displaced people now sheltering in camps in the city of El Obeid. "We are providing even not the full food ration to the people, but even that reduced food ration is being shared by the recipients with other families, because they know that they don't have any other source of income," said World Food Programme (WFP) Sudan Country Director Abdallah Alwardat.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | IOM , OHCHR , UN WOMEN , WHO , WFP
WFP: Mass displacement from El Obeid as food stocks run low; IOM: Ebola outbreak in the East, Horn and Southern Africa region; OHCHR: Wave of unrest in Pakistan-Administered Kashmir; UN WOMEN: Report launch: Women on the Move in Europe and Central Asia
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
‘This is a fire’: DRC Ebola outbreak is fastest-growing ever, warns WHO
Infections of the Bundibugyo species of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have reached record highs and a majority of new cases are coming from “unknown chains of transmission”, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | UNHCR , UNOG , WHO
Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) in Geneva, chaired the hybrid briefing which was attended by spokespersons and representatives from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the World Health Organization.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
In war-torn Sudan, a deadly new cholera outbreak has already claimed more than 100 lives, heightening serious concerns for vulnerable communities including in besieged El-Obeid, where daily drone attacks reportedly continue to hamper aid access.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | UNOG , UN WOMEN , WHO , WMO
Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) in Geneva, chaired the hybrid briefing, which was attended by spokespersons and representatives of UN Women, WHO and WMO
1
1
1
Edited News | UNIFIL
Ceasefire reduces violence in South Lebanon, but challenges remain as communities face devastation.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
Ebola continues to spread in DRC, death toll passes 500 – WHO
The outbreak of the deadly Bundibugyo species of Ebola in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is expanding, while the push to accelerate testing and identify effective treatment options continues, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | WHO , IFRC , ICRC , UNHCR , WMO , UN80
Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) in Geneva, chaired the hybrid briefing, which was attended by the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Policy, and spokespersons and representatives from the World Health Organization, International Committee of the Red Cross, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and the World Meteorological Organization.
2
1
2
Press Conferences | UNCTAD
Global investment is rising again. But it's becoming more concentrated, more selective and less accessible to many developing countries.
The recovery remains fragile. Growth is concentrated in a small number of economies and in capital- and technology-intensive sectors.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | UN , ODET , ITU , UNESCO , PGA
Opening of the Global Dialogue on AI Governance