Media Quote
Responding to UN Special Rapporteur Irene Khan’s preliminary findings in conclusion to their visit, Amnesty Philippines Director, Butch Olano, said:
“As the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Opinion, Irene Khan, concludes their visit to the Philippines, Amnesty International welcomes their preliminary recommendations for the Marcos administration to abolish NTF-ELCAC, and develop a policy against red-tagging and terror-tagging. The Philippines allowing UN Special Rapporteurs to visit the country is a step in the right direction, but what remains to be seen is whether or not the government is willing to accept the recommendations in the mission reports after the visits which will be presented at the 59th Session of the UN Human Rights Council in June 2025.
For human rights to be fully realized, Marcos’ administration should commit to alleviating the current human right situation in the country by acknowledging Khan’s preliminary recommendations now, not wait for the UN session in 2025 to take concrete steps to ending the repression of the right to freedom of expression.
Butch Olano, Section Director
“For human rights to be fully realized, Marcos’ administration should commit to alleviating the current human right situation in the country by acknowledging Khan’s preliminary recommendations now, not wait for the UN session in 2025 to take concrete steps to ending the repression of the right to freedom of expression, impunity, and harassment of human rights defenders (HRDs), journalists, and student activists.
“Two years into this administration, HR organizations have noted rising cases of attacks against HRDs, repression of dissent and freedom of expression. The worsening situation is getting more difficult to cover up, the mission report will be a testament to that. This should be a challenge to the government to fulfill their obligation to uplift human rights in the country and protect the individuals defending it.”
Background
UN Special Rapporteur Irene Khan’s preliminary findings were presented in a press conference following their official visit to the Philippines from 23 January to 2 February. In a statement, Khan said that “the NTF-ELCAC was no longer applicable in the current context and recommended to the government to issue an executive order that stipulates a policy against red-tagging terror-tagging”.