Tag: Philippines

PHILIPPINES: Government policy and practice defeat UN’s objective to eliminate killings

29th Session - 2015 June, ALRC AT THE UN, Countries, Human Rights Council, Philippines, South East Asia June 8, 2015January 16, 2017 admin 0 Comments

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ALRC-CWS-29-06-2015 June 08, 2015 A Joint Written Submission to the UN Human Rights Council by the Asian Legal Resource Centre and KARAPATAN Alliance for the Advancement of People’s Rights – Philippines PHILIPPINES: Government policy and practice defeat UN’s objective to eliminate killings The Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) and KARAPATAN Alliance for the Advancement of People’s Rights – Philippines (Karapatan ) welcome the General Assembly’s Resolution (A/HRC/RES/26/12) reaffirming the “need for effective action to combat and eliminate the abhorrent practice of extrajudicial” killings. The failure, if not inability, to hold the perpetrators accountable,” as the Resolution rightly pointed, “remains the main cause of the continued occurrence” of […]

PHILIPPINES: UN expert held-the government violated Maguindanao massacre families rights to be free from “cruel, inhuman treatment”

Countries, documents, Philippines, press releases March 17, 2015January 16, 2017 admin 0 Comments

A Press Release by the Asian Legal Resource Centre (Hong Kong, March 17, 2015) For “failing to provide reparations to survivors and their families,” Mr. Juan E. Mendez, UN Special Rapporteur on torture, concluded: the government violated the rights of witnesses, survivors and families of the Maguindanao massacre, to be free from “cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.” Mendez’s report  (UN Doc. A/HRC/28/68/Add.1, para. 433-434) refers to the government’s obligations under article 16 of the Convention against Torture (CAT) to prevent “other acts of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment” that do not amount to torture. In his report on the Philippines presented to the 28th Session of the UN Human Rights […]

PHILIPPINES: Barriers to human rights – How complaint and protection mechanisms fail, and why

Countries, documents, Philippines, press releases, press releases 2015 September 20, 2012July 9, 2015 admin 0 Comments

The manner how these justice institutions operates, notably in the process of complaint making and protection, have largely denied or prevented any sort of remedies for the victims. The lack, if not absence of protection and of security to complainants and witnesses seeking remedies, are clear examples of the government’s pledge making its protection mechanism for human rights being hollow.

PHILIPPINES: Obstacles concerning access to justice and protection for indigenous people

21st Session - 2012 September, ALRC AT THE UN, Countries, documents, Human Rights Council, Philippines, Written Submissions July 28, 2012July 15, 2015 ALRC 0 Comments

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 28, 2012 ALRC-CWS-21-02-2012 Language(s): English only HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL Twenty-first session, Agenda Item 3, half-day discussion on indigenous peoples: access to Justice A written statement submitted by the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC), a non-governmental organisation with general consultative status PHILIPPINES: Obstacles concerning access to justice and protection for indigenous people The Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) welcomes the range of reports concerning the human rights of indigenous people during the upcoming 21st session of the Human Rights Council, being held from September 10 to 28, 2012. In view of the discussion on indigenous people and access to justice, to be held by the Council on […]

PHILIPPINES: Human Rights Council must act on widespread arbitrary dismissals of torture complaints and resultant impunity

19th Session - 2012 March, ALRC AT THE UN, Countries, documents, Human Rights Council, Philippines, Written Submissions February 24, 2012July 17, 2015 ALRC 0 Comments

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 24, 2012 ALRC-CWS-19-08-2012 Language(s): English only HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL Nineteenth session, Agenda Item 3, Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on torture A written statement submitted by the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC), a non-governmental organisation with general consultative status PHILIPPINES: Human Rights Council must act on widespread arbitrary dismissals of torture complaints and resultant impunity The Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) wishes to inform and seek the intervention of the Human Rights Council and the Special Rapporteur on torture concerning the frequent dismissals of complaints of torture, which speak to a system of legal and procedural obstacles and systemic institutional failings that are ensuring that […]

PHILIPPINES: Action required to address ongoing abuses of the legal system used to target human rights defenders

19th Session - 2012 March, ALRC AT THE UN, Countries, documents, Human Rights Council, Philippines, Written Submissions February 17, 2012July 17, 2015 ALRC 0 Comments

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 17, 2012 ALRC-CWS-19-03-2012 Language(s): English only HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL Nineteenth session, Agenda Item 3, Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders A written statement submitted by the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC), a non-governmental organisation with general consultative status PHILIPPINES: Action required to address ongoing abuses of the legal system used to target human rights defenders The Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) submitted a written statement to the tenth session of the Human Rights Council in March 20091 concerning a growing pattern of the abusive use of prosecutorial powers and the country’s judicial process in order to detain human rights and political activists, […]

PHILIPPINES: Reforms required immediately to protect witnesses

15th Session - 2010 September, ALRC AT THE UN, Countries, documents, Human Rights Council, Philippines, Written Submissions August 27, 2010July 17, 2015 ALRC 0 Comments

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 27, 2010 ALRC-CWS-15-10-2010 Language(s): English only HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL Fifteenth session, Agenda Item 4 A written statement submitted by the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC), a non-governmental organisation with general consultative status PHILIPPINES: Reforms required immediately to protect witnesses The Asian Legal Resource Center (ALRC) welcomes the discussion during the 15th session of the Human Rights Council (HRC) concerning the OHCHR’s report on programmes and other measures for the protection of witnesses. The issue of failing witness protection systems is a key element in many Asian countries that permits impunity for State agents accused of grave human rights violations. In this submission, the ALRC will focus […]

PHILIPPINES: Ongoing impunity concerning hundreds of extra-judicial killings

14th Session - 2010 June, ALRC AT THE UN, Countries, documents, Human Rights Council, Philippines, Written Submissions May 24, 2010August 24, 2015 ALRC 0 Comments

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 24, 2010 ALRC-CWS-14-05-2010 Language(s): English only HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL Fourteenth session, Agenda Item 4, General Debate A written statement submitted by the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC), a non-governmental organisation with general consultative status PHILIPPINES: Ongoing impunity concerning hundreds of extra-judicial killings The Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) and its sister-organisation, the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC), have been engaged in documenting cases of extra-judicial killings in the Philippines over recent years, and have repeatedly submitted information to the Special Procedures and Human Rights Council in this regard. According to the information received from local sources and collected during fact-finding missions, the military of the Philippines […]

PHILIPPINES: Authorities failing to investigate house demolitions, torture, disappearances and killing of civilians resulting from the conflict in Mindanao

12th Session - 2009 September, ALRC AT THE UN, Countries, documents, Human Rights Council, Philippines, Written Submissions September 4, 2009August 25, 2015 ALRC 0 Comments

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 4, 2009 ALRC-CWS-12-06-2009 HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL Twelfth session � Item 4 A written statement submitted by the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC), a non-governmental organisation with general consultative status PHILIPPINES: Authorities failing to investigate house demolitions, torture, disappearances and killing of civilians resulting from the conflict in Mindanao The Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) is concerned by the fact that the government of the Philippines is failing to protect civilians from grave and widespread abuses of human rights in conflict-affected parts of the country�s southern Mindanao island. In particular, the police and law enforcement agencies� failure to conduct investigations into a litany of abuses ascribed to […]