Attacks on lawyers in Philippines ‘systematic’
Members of a group that examined attacks on the legal profession in the Philippines have found that 59 extrajudicial killings carried out during the presidency of Rodrigo Duterte were part of a systematic plan to silence dissent.
The group, called Caravana Filipina, comprises representatives of ten lawyers’ and human-rights organisations from around the globe.
The delegation’s fact-finding mission last year gathered testimonies from victims and families about attacks on legal professionals from 2016 to 2023.
They presented their findings at an event in The Hague, Netherlands, yesterday (4 June). Duterte is now detained in the Dutch city awaiting his trial by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against humanity.
‘Extraordinary risks’
Most of the attack were linked to lawyers who represented victims of Duterte’s ‘war on drugs’ that targeted mostly the urban poor.
The press conference was told that lawyers in the Philippines had faced and continued to face “extraordinary risks”.
The report, Black robes, red targets, found that attacks on lawyers, judges, and prosecutors were often preceded by surveillance, intimidation, or ‘red-tagging’ – a smear campaign in which legal professionals were labelled as ‘terrorists’ or ‘communist rebels’.
It said that extrajudicial killings were mostly carried out by two individuals on a motorcycle with no registered licence plates and wearing full-face helmets to conceal their identities.
‘Cold cases’
The Caravana Filipina event was told that the “recurrence and consistency” of these tactics pointed to a co-ordinated scheme, with the aim of instilling fear in the legal profession.
Its report said that the Caravana Filipina observed a consistent pattern of “incomplete and inadequate” investigations into the attacks.
The press conference heard that, apart from one exception, none of the cases examined proceeded to trial and most were categorised as ‘cold cases’.
Its report listed “structural flaws” in the investigative system in the Philippines that were exploited by the authorities – including the absence of a specialised and independent prosecutor’s office to handle cases that may involve state officials.
It added that the collection of evidence often lacked “scientific rigour”, while the delegation noted “a striking absence” of eyewitness testimonies, despite most killings taking place in public areas.
Independent body
The report called on the government of the Philippines to set up an Independent and impartial body to investigate all extrajudicial killings and violations of the rights of lawyers, adding that it must be adequately resourced and free from government control.
It also urged the country to develop policies for reparations for victims, to co-operate with the ICC investigation into Duterte, and to step up co-ordination with UN human-rights bodies.
Other recommendations for the Philippines include the strengthening of judicial independence and protection for lawyers and the ratification of the Council of Europe’s Convention for the Protection of the Profession of Lawyer, which is open to non-members.
The report also urged all states to put diplomatic pressure on the country to investigate killings and violations against lawyers – and to make trade deals and other treaties conditional on this.