International organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) yesterday urged the Philippine government to drop the charges filed against Vice President Leni Robredo and other prominent figures critical of President Rodrigo Duterte.
The HRW said the sedition charges filed against them last week were just a way for the government to silence critics of the president’s drug war, which has left thousands dead.
Last week, the Philippine National Police (PNP) filed charges of inciting to sedition and several other complaints against Robredo, Senators Leila de Lima and Risa Hontiveros, former senators Antonio Trillanes IV and Bam Aquino, lawyers, priests, and other personalities. They have been accused by a man named Peter Advincula of producing a series of viral videos titled Ang Totoong Narco List (The Real Narco List) with the intent to remove Duterte from power.
All personalities whom the PNP has charged have denied that they are conspiring with each other to oust Duterte.
Brad Adams, HRW’s Asia Director, criticized the PNP’s complaint in a statement posted on his organization’s website.
“The preposterous complaint against the vice president and the others is a transparent attempt to harass and silence critics of President Duterte’s bloody ‘drug war,’” said Adams. “Threatening criminal charges against the vice president, outspoken bishops, and rights lawyers suggests that Duterte’s egregious human rights record is catching up with him.”
The HRW said that this is not the first time that the Duterte administration has targetted those who have been critical of its drug war.
It cited the case of Senator de Lima, who has been in jail since February 2017 after she was accused of receiving money from jailed drug dealers back when she was Department of Justice secretary. The charge against her was based on the testimonies of these imprisoned drug lords which the HRW alleged are baseless.
The HRW also mentioned the case of multi-awarded journalist Maria Ressa, who is facing multiple cases including tax evasion and cyberlibel.
Adams said the complaints against Robredo and the others was a “little more than a kneejerk reaction to the UN Human Rights Council’s resolution on the Philippines. Friends of the Philippines should not stay silent when the administration retaliates against those promoting respect for human rights in the country.”
More than a week ago, the United Nations Human Rights Council ordered a comprehensive written report on Duterte’s drug war, based on a resolution filed by Iceland. Duterte’s allies have slammed the resolution and said it was an intrusion into the Philippines’ domestic affairs. Duterte’s spokesman Salvador Panelo said the president is seriously considering cutting diplomatic ties with Iceland.
The video series Ang Totoong Narco List first appeared on YouTube in April. In it, a hooded figure named Bikoy who claims to be a former drug syndicate member alleges that presidential son and Congressman Paolo Duterte, former presidential assistant and Senator Christopher “Bong” Go, and presidential son-in-law Manases Carpio receive millions from the illegal drug trade.
Advincula claimed to be Bikoy in May during a public appearance at the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) in Pasig. He said that he was standing by his allegations against Paolo, Go, and Carpio. However, he changed his tune when he surrendered to the PNP a few weeks later and said that all the allegations he made against Duterte’s camp were false. He also said opposition figures produced the videos with the intention of removing Duterte and making Robredo the country’s president.
