Karapatan submits records of killings under Duterte to UN

UN special rapporteur Agnes Callamard. (Photo from her Twitter account)

Human rights group Karapatan has submitted to the United Nations records of extrajudicial killings (EJK) under the Duterte administration.

The 47 EJK records have been submitted to United Nations Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial/Summary or Arbitrary Executions Agnes Callamard.

Karapatan urged Callamard to consider, investigate, make recommendations, and take any appropriate actions on the cases.

“The victims of killings are peasants, indigenous peoples and workers; many faced vilification by the military because of their advocacy and actions to defend people’s rights and are thus considered as human rights defenders,” said Cristina Palabay, Karapatan secretary general, in her letter to Callamard.

The 47 cases of killings under the Duterte administration were documented by Karapatan from July 2016 to March 31, 2017.

Karapatan was hoping that Callamard’s findings about the gravity of political killings in the Philippines may convince the present administration to completely discard their counterinsurgency programs.

Furthermore, Palabay stated that Karapatan is currently working with the campaign network Rise Up, a faith-based institution, to prepare and document similar cases of human rights violation.

The submitted records will also be included in the May 8, 2017 third cycle of the Universal Periodic Review on the Philippines at the UN Human Rights Council. Geisha Sinahonon/rga