UN to probe killings, HR violations in Phl

Echoes From

BY JOHNNY DAYANG

It seems encouraging that the United Nations will finally dispatch a special team of rapporteurs (independent investigators) to the Philippines to look into the prevalence of extra-judicial killings, escalating human rights violations, government neglect and forced evictions in the country.

Human rights group Karapatan secretary-general Cristina Palabay revealed this news. She attended the just concluded 26th United Nations Human Rights Council sessions in Geneva, Switzerland.

The UN rapporteurs should be given due importance and utmost significance in the light of the alarming issues confronting the country, including the government’s slow response to issues raised by the survivors and victims of typhoon Yolanda that hit Eastern Visayas.

 

Palabay said Karapatan has recorded 21 victims of extrajudicial killings and 23 victims of frustrated killings in the first quarter of 2014 alone. In the presence of Philip Alston, the newly appointed UN special rapporteur on extreme poverty, Palabay told the UN Human Rights Council sessions, that there really exists serious human rights violations in the Philippines that must be addressed immediately.

In 2007, Alston, who was then the UN special rapporteur on extra judicial, summary or arbitrary executions, came to the Philippines to investigate extrajudicial killings under the administration of former President Gloria Arroyo.

The UN Official, in his report 7 years ago, stressed that the responsibility of the government, military and police in the killings and disappearances of hundreds of political activists and those tagged as rebel supporters, were part of the counter-insurgency campaign of the State.

Alston recommended a list of concrete steps the Philippine should do to address and abate the rights violations. But what happened? Nothing, Palabay laments.

Palabay said, “Alston expressed keen concern over these reports and said he will look into these issues complementary to what other human rights experts called mandate-holders would do.” She disclosed that among the UN rapporteurs who will be coming to the Philippines to investigate are Chaloka Beyani and Gabriela Knaul.

Beyani is UN special rapporteur on human rights cases of internally displaced persons. He will officially undertake his visit to the Philippines this year, while Knaul has yet to secure an invitation from the Philippine government following her request to visit the Philippines, as required by certain protocols.