Sister Patricia Fox arrives in Australia, slams PH rights abuses

An Australian nun who angered President Rodrigo Duterte by joining anti-government protests arrived in Melbourne airport on Sunday, after being deported from the Philippines.

Speaking inside the airport’s terminal, Sister Patricia Anne Fox said the human rights abuses in the Philippines are increasing, “it’s a reign of terror and tyranny.”

When Fox was in Manila, she was working with the families of the victims who were killed in the drug war, which has left thousands dead.

The Bureau of Immigration ordered her deported in July, put her on a blacklist and then downgraded her missionary visa to a temporary visitor’s visa, which expired on Saturday.

President Duterte has bristled at criticism of his leadership, particularly by foreigners like Fox, who he says have no right to meddle in Philippine domestic affairs.

Most of the criticism has focused on his bloody anti-drug campaign, alarmed Western governments and rights groups and prompted two complaints of mass murder before the International Criminal Court.

Known for being soft-spoken, Fox is a coordinator of a Roman Catholic order of nuns and has worked for the poor in the Philippines.

She promotes human rights and the welfare of workers, farmers and ethnic groups and has spoken against Duterte and his government, which has also been criticized for stifling dissent.