DOJ contests US rights report

Department of Justice. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — Reports of extrajudicial killings (EJKs) under the current Marcos administration were not related to the exercise of freedom of expression, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said, in response to a US government report, which said that EJKs remained a “serious problem” in the Philippines in 2023.

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“Following a thorough inquiry, the DOJ Review Panel has concluded that reported EJKs under the current administration were not linked to the exercise of freedom of expression but rather to personal motives,” the agency said in a statement on Saturday.

In its 58-page country report on human rights practices, the US State Department said there were “no significant changes” in the human rights situation in the Philippines last year. —JANE BAUTISTA