Joint statement on the Philippines to UN Human Rights Council
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02 Nov 2021
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We joined with international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) for a session on the independent international fact-finding mission on the Philippines at the 48th session of the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council.
What's the issue
Since 2001, at least 197 members of the legal profession have been murdered in the Philippines.
Killings of lawyers have escalated since President Duterte took office in July 2016.
Since then, there have been at least 58 work-related murders of lawyers, judges and prosecutors – with only a handful of investigations leading to prosecutions.
There have also been numerous murders and attacks against defenders.
What we've asked for
We urge the UN Human Rights Council to establish an adequately-resourced international investigative mechanism to collect and preserve evidence of extrajudicial killings and other serious human rights violations in the Philippines.