Since mid-1987 political killings carried out by government and government backed forces in violation of the law have become the most serious human rights problem in the Philippines. Most of the victims have been suspected supporters of the communist insurgency, many of them members of legal left-wing organizations. They have been killed by members of the regular military and police forces, the paramilitary Civilian Home Defense Forces (CHDF) or community-based civilian groups commonly known as “vigilantes”. acting with government support. Amnesty International believes there are several measures the Philippines Government could adopt to deal with the problem of widespread human rights violations.
