Austrian Network for Justice & Peace in the Philippines ANJPP
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Austrian Network for Justice & Peace in the Philippines ANJPP objectives :
- Raise awareness in Austria about the situation in the Philippines
-Organise and participate in activities in support of the Filipino people’s rights and democratic aspiration
by .
Join Move.PH's next fact-checking webinar this Friday, September 30! Learn from experts about the current online landscape, how to spot and combat disinformation online, and about initiatives to help spread facts.
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DUTERTE ACCOUNTABLE FOR ILOILO CARNAGE
Bagong Alyansang Makabayan denounces the indiscriminate bombings and airstrikes conducted by the Philippine Army’s 3rd Infantry Division in Barangay Alimondias, Miag-ao, Iloilo on December 1.
Based on initial news reports, two FA50 fighter jets of the Philippine Air Force dropped two 500-pound bombs which left explosion craters in the community.
The army claimed there was an encounter with the New People’s Army which the latter has denied.
What cannot be disputed is that at least eight individuals are dead.
There are many questions about this particular army operation which can only be answered by an independent probe.
The use of airstrikes and heavy bombs is reprehensible because of its brutal impact on civilian communities.
It is a reminder that the Rodrigo Duterte government has relied on a purely militaristic solution in dealing with the communist movement.
The Miag-ao airstrikes reflect what is fundamentally wrong and deceptive in the government’s so-called whole-of-nation counterinsurgency approach: Mobilize civilian agencies for supposedly grassroots development projects yet the military is allowed to terrorize the local population and inflict widespread harm and destruction in communities.
We hold Duterte accountable for the carnage unleashed by the army. He militarized the bureaucracy and deployed the military to lead and enforce his bloody war against communists.
An independent investigation should look into the possible war crimes committed by state forces. A humanitarian relief operation should be allowed in the affected communities.
Amid a surge in concern over a new coronavirus variant, the government should prioritize the use of public funds to enhance the health capacities of provinces, instead of dropping bombs and artillery shells in remote communities.
We ask legislators to once again review the bloated budget of the military. We challenge candidates in the 2022 elections to speak out against the gruesome army attack in Iloilo. We support the appeal of peace advocates about the need to resume peace negotiations in order to address the roots of the armed conflict.
We stand with the people of Panay in demanding truth, accountability, and justice.
Malekamaze
PRESS RELEASE | Paghugpong sang Mangunguma sa Panay kag Guimaras (PAMANGGAS)
Napilitang umuwi kaninang umaga, Enero 7, ang mga bakwit mula Lahug na nasa Tapaz Civic Center matapos ang ilang araw na pamimilit ni Mayor Roberto Palomar ng Tapaz, Capiz. Sabi ng alkalde na marami nang nakanselang mga aktibidad dahil nakakampo ang mga tumandok sa kanilang civic center. Ito ay sa kabila ng naunang tindig ng mga bakwit na hindi sila babalik sa kanilang komunidad kung hindi aalis ang mga militar. Tinatayang hindi bababa sa isang daang militar sa ngayon ang nakakampo sa gitna ng komunidad ng Lahug matapos magbakwit ang mga katutubo noong Enero 1 ng kasalukuyang taon.
Tinakot din ng nasabing alkalde ang mga upisyal ng barangay na matatanggal sa pwesto kung hindi susunod sa nasabing utos.
Naiwan na lamang sa Tapaz Civic Center ang 19 indibidwal na pamilya ng tatlong lider-tumandok mula Lahug na pinaslang ng mga pulis at militar upang iproseso ang pagpapauwi ng kanilang mga bangkay.
Matatandaang nagbakwit ang may 78 na pamilya mula Lahug, Tapaz papuntang Tapaz Civic Center dahil sa trauma at takot na maulit ang nangyaring masaker sa kanilang komunidad. Ang mga tumandok sa ibang mga barangay ay nagbakwit din sa mga sentro ng kanilang baryo dahil na rin sa takot.
Noong Disyembre 30 ay minasaker ng mga elemento ng CIDG, PNP at AFP ang 9 na katutubong lider tumandok at inaresto ang 16 na katutubo gamit ang tinanim na mga ebidensiya. Magkakasabay na pinasok ng mga operatiba ang 9 na barangay sa bayan ng Calinog, Iloilo at Tapaz, Capiz.
Mariing kinukundena ng PAMANGGAS ang pilit na pagpapauwi ng Mayor ng Tapaz sa mga katutubong tumandok at pananakot sa mga upisyal ng barangay nito. Ang pilit na pagpapauwi sa mga katutubog ay para pagtakpan at pahupain ang isyu ng masaker ng mga pulis at militar sa mga katutubong tumandok. Nais nitong ibalik sa mga komunidad ang mga tumandok para makontrol ang paglabas pasok ng sinumang may malasakit na tumulong sa mga tumandok - mula sa simbahan, midya, abugado at mga progresibo.
Nauna nang gustong pigilan ni Mayor Palomar ang anumang interaksyon sa iba’t ibang grupong gustong tumulong at datos sa kalagayan ng mga bakwit nang magpalabas ito ng mandato na bawal pumasok sa nasabing bayan ang sinuman na walang “prior business”, kasama na rito ang midya. Hinigpitan din ang pagpasok sa loob ng civic center ng mga grupong gustong tumulong sa mga bakwit.
Imbes na tulungan ni Mayor Palomar ang mga mamamayan nito na makabangon mula sa trauma na dulot ng madugong raid nga mga pulis at military, mas lalu lamang nitong sinususugan ang takot ng mga mamamayan sa pamamagitan ng pagpapadala ng dagdag na armado sa mga komunidad.
Alam ni Mayor Palomar na ang mga namatay at mga nahuli ay mga sibilyan at walang anumang kakayahang lumaban gaya ng mga sinasabi ng mga pulis at militar. Mismong dalawa sa mga naaresto ay empleyado nito. Si Roy Giganto, Mario Aguirre at Reynaldo Katipunan ay palaging nasa opisina nito upang makipagdayalogo hinggil sa lumalalang pananakot ng militar sa kanilang komunidad.
Sa desperasyon na pagtakpan ang katotohanan ay nais ni Mayor Palomar na pauwiin na lamang ang mga bakwit upang makontrol ang sinuman na nais tumulong sa mga tumandok at para mapigilan ang paglabas ng katotohanan.
Kagaya ng panawagan ng mga katutubong tumandok, nananawagan din ang PAMANGGAS ng agarang pagpapalayas sa mga militar sa mga komunidad ng mga katutubo. Hanggat nasa komunidad ang mga military ay magpapatuloy ang nasabing karahasan sa mga tumandok.
Nananawagan din ang PAMANGGAS ng agarang imbestigasyon at agarang hustisya sa mga minasaker ng pulis at militar at pagpapalaya sa mga hinuli at pinatawan ng gawa-gawang kaso. Nananawagan din ang PAMANGGAS sa mamamayan na tumindig at tulungan ang ating mga kapatid na tumandok na makamit ang hustisya. At panghuli, dapat nating sabay-sabay na ipanawagan ang pagpapatalsik sa tuta, pasista at diktador na Duterte na siyang numero unong mamamatay-tao.
Stop isolation, fascism and occupation!
Immediate Freedom for Öcalan! Freedom for Kurdistan!"
International League of Peoples' Struggle (ILPS Austria) stands with the people of Kurdistan in their struggle for liberation.
The stateless Kurdish people have grappled with shifting power structures in the Middle East for centuries, ranging from the centralised forces of the Ottoman Empire to ethnic persecution under Saddam Hussein.
Several thousands of years, Kurdistan has been exposed to attacks by external powers that considered its geostrategic position beyond interesting. From 1915, the Kurds were under the rule of the Ottoman Empire until after the after the First World War when the rising imperialist powers Britain and France France divided the Kurds over four countries: Turkey, Syria, Iran and Iraq. In each they faced persecution and post-colonial suppression. Over the decades, the European intervention policy in the Middle East became increasingly colonialist, violently suppressing the Kurdish emancipation efforts with the help of their Arab proxies.
In 1920, after the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, the Kurds were promised their own state in the Treaty of Sevres.
The deal was later rejected by Turkish leader Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, and Turkey repressed Kurdish uprisings over the next few decades.
It is against this backdrop that Abdullah Öcalan, a Kurdish nationalist political theoretician, political prisoner and one of the founding members of the militant Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) was kidnapped by the Turkish secret services with assistance from the CIA. That was on 15 February 1999 and he has been languishing in solitary confinement in İmralı Island Prison ever since.
Öcalan has risen above difficult conditions for more than two decades now and has been writing in prison to inspire millions of people including the democratic revolution in Rojava, the Yezidi self organization in Shengal, democratic struggles in North Kurdistan, in Europe, in prisons, at schools and universities.
ILPS Austria maintains that the world’s largest stateless nation has long suffered persecution by virtue of its resources and geostrategic position.
As Ocalan says, ”the people of Kurdistan need to be free to organize in a way that they can live their culture and language and can develop economically and ecologically”.
We demand that international powers heed the Kurdish calls for liberation. We demand immediate freedom for Öcalan and other political prisoners in Turkey and the initiation of a real peace process.NOW!
Stop isolation, fascism and occupation!
Immediate Freedom for Öcalan!
Freedom for Kurdistan!”
International League of Peoples' Struggle (ILPS Austria)
Happy Sabbath!
Welcome to the Family This year, I spent Thanksgiving week with people who, ten years ago, were complete strangers to me. Today, I call them family. They came with my wife. When she became part of my world, so did more …
Rescue, relief and recovery… let us join forces and mobilize the Bayanihan Spirit that is innate in us Filipinos!
Dear Fellow Pinoy in Austria,
While the COVID-19 pandemic is in full swing, the Philippines has recently been slammed by a series of devastating typhoons, with Goni/Rolly being the strongest so far this year. The typhoon’s 215 kph sustained winds killed 20 and compounded the misery and hardships of over 2 million of our countrymen.
The initial cost of Typhoon Rolly’s damage to power infrastructure has been placed at P33.5 million, with 2.909 million households affected, according to the Department of Energy (DOE) while the Department of Agriculture reported that the total damage and losses due to the said typhoon is now at P 2.94 billion.
Rescue, relief and recovery… let us join forces and mobilize the Bayanihan Spirit that is innate in us Filipinos!
We cordially invite you to an exploratory discussion on how we could respond in ways that are helpful and appropriate to our kababayan deeply devastated by these typhoons!
Date: Wednesday 11th November 2020
Time: 4:00pm - 6:00pm
Venue: Exe Vienna
Ottakringer Strasse 34-36
1160 Wien
For details, kindly contact any of the undersigned.
Best regards,
Joegen Blanco
Spokesperson, Migrante Austria
Mobile phone no. +43 677 63460517
Michael Garlan
Secretary General, Migrante Austria
Mobile phone no.+43 688 64588 82
Manuel Sarmiento
Chairperson, Migrante Austria
Mobile phone +43 678 1262021
Dear Friends and Partners,
Solidarity Greetings!
We are pleased to invite you to join with us in this Zoom Meeting to discuss the impact of European Resolution and UNHRC on the alarming Human rights situation in the Philippines.
Topic: Migrante Austria - Discussion on UNHRC and European Parliament Resolution
Time: Oct 12, 2020 06:00 PM Vienna
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/99312682251?pwd=cWRRV0RDMkNzT2p0MnpmcHZuS2h4UT09
Meeting ID: 993 1268 2251
Passcode: 435837
The Zoom will also have a face to face meeting with selected leaders of the Filipino/Austria community to be held on 12 October, 6 pm at Amerlinghaus, Stiftgasse 8, 1070 Vienna.
These two big International institutions came up with resolutions declaring that the Government of the Philippines should address the measures on the human rights situation in the Philippines.
Moreover, Facebook finally blocks Duterte’s army of trolls. It says ”our investigation found links to Philippine military and Philippine police.”
Against this backdrop, we are happy to have Bishop Antonio Ablon as our resource speaker and several human rights advocates to share their expertise on this field.
We would be honored if you could join us and extend your support to our online Zoom Meeting or be personally present at Amerlinghaus. Your virtual presence will help us strengthen our conviction that peace and justice will succeed through our unified and collective actions.
Best regards,
Manuel Sarmiento
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Let us fight back, together for press freedom and of expression and for the people’s to know, and for democracy!
Arise Kabayan in Austria warmly welcomes the European Parliament resolution on the deteriorating level of press freedom in the Philippines issued on 17 September 2020 by a large majority of 626 to 7, with 52 abstentions.
The resolution states that:
“Whereas in early July 2020, the Philippine Congress voted to deny the renewal of the broadcast franchise of ABS-CBN, the country’s largest TV and radio network; whereas the refusal to renew its broadcasting licence by President Duterte is seen as an act of retaliation for the media’s coverage of the anti-drugs campaign and serious human rights abuses;”and
“Is alarmed about the deteriorating level of press freedom in the Philippines; condemns all threats, harassment, intimidation, unfair prosecutions, and violence against journalists, including the case of Maria Ressa; calls for all politically motivated charges against her and her colleagues to be dropped; recalls that press freedom and freedom of expression are fundamental components of democracy; calls on the Philippine authorities to renew the broadcast licence of the main audio-visual group, ABS-CBN; calls on the EU Delegation and EU Member States’ representations in Manila to closely monitor the cases against Maria Ressa and Reynaldo Santos Jr, and to provide all necessary assistance;”
The above resolution assures us of the European Parliament's constant monitoring, thus giving us hope to continue denouncing the despotic President Rodrigo Roa Duterte. In like manner, we will continue our vigilance, protests and fora; allowing representatives from the international bodies, such as the UN and the European Parliament, to positively amplify our calls from the ground— calls for press freedom and freedom of expression as fundamental components of democracy; calls on the Philippine authorities to renew the broadcast licence of the main audio-visual group, ABS-CBN; calls for all politically motivated charges against Maria Ressa and her colleagues to be dropped.
Earlier, we expressed that: Our 1987 Philippine Constitution says “No law shall be passed abridging the freedom of speech, of expression, of the press, on the right to peaceably to assemble and petition the government for redress of grievances.”
Press freedom is a cornerstone of our democratic system. Weaponizing the law to stifle dissent and contrary opinions erodes the very foundations of our democratic system.
The denial of the renewal of ABS-CBN's franchise is the latest and perhaps the biggest blow on press freedom in the country so far. It is also an attack on the rights of thousands of workers who are set to lose their jobs in the middle of a pandemic and economic crisis; it is a denial of the people's right to know, of people's access to relevant, timely, important, and life-saving information in the middle of a public health crisis.
SWS survey results reveal: “75% of Filipinos are in favor of ABS-CBN franchise renewal” and press freedom advocates remain hopeful of possible avenues to grant ABS-CBN a franchise.
Hence, we, concerned Filipinos in Austria, express our support to the People’s Initiative to Grant ABS-CBN a People’s Franchise or Pirma Kapamilya, a movement that seek to gather 7 million signatures for ABS-CBN.
The ‘People’s Initiative’ under the 1987 Constitution grants Filipinos the power to amend the Constitution or enact laws. This procedure is governed by Republic Act 6735 or “The Initiative and Referendum Act,” along with Commission on Elections (COMELEC) Resolution No. 10650. Under this Initiative, a proposed legislation needs the signature of at least 10% of all registered voters or 6.1 million signatures based on the total registered voters in the 2019 National Elections Record.
This campaign is not a move to protect merely ABS CBN corporate interest. But an assertion of our constitutionally-guaranteed right to press freedom and free expression!
Let us persevere in this campaign and assert our right to peaceably assemble and petition the government for redress of grievances! Let us fight back together for press freedom and of expression and for the people’s right to know, and for democracy!
Arise Kabayan in Austria
The Second Europe-wide Summit on the Philippines Human Rights Crisis Europe Network for Justice and Peace in the Philippines
Introduction
The Europe Network for Justice and Peace in the Philippines (ENJPP) successfully conducted the first Emergency Summit on the Human Rights Crisis in the Philippines in Iceland on September 21 2019. This was in response to the undermining by the Duterte regime of the Iceland-led resolution to the 41st Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) asking UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet to prepare a comprehensive report on the situation in the Philippines and also to urge the government to cooperate with UN offices and mechanisms by facilitating country visits and "refraining from all acts of intimidation or retaliation.” The resolution also calls on the Philippine government to "take all necessary measures to prevent extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances, to carry out impartial investigations and to hold perpetrators accountable, in accordance with international norms and standards, including on due process and the rule of law.” A total of 18 out 47 members supported this resolution.
This summit aimed to further strengthen and organize international pressure on the Duterte administration to conform to international norms and standards on human rights as provided for in the binding human rights treaties to which it is a signatory and which allow for mechanisms for ensuring investigation and accountability. It was also a space for the victims of repression and human rights violations in the Philippines to express their appreciation for Iceland’s solidarity with the Filipino people struggling for genuine social change.
The Second Europe-wide Summit
On July 3 2020, just three days after the UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet formally presented the above-mentioned comprehensive Report on the Situation of Human Rights in the Philippines at the 44th Session of the UN Human Rights Council, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte signed the new controversial, repressive and draconian Anti-Terrorism Law. This new law threatens fundamental rights and freedoms enshrined in the Philippine Constitution. Among the controversial provisions of this law are: 1) the power granted to an appointed body of the Executive branch to designate individuals and organizations as terrorists (proscription), 2) such appointed body can notify the police and military to conduct warrantless arrests of people and groups considered as terrorists and those supporting them; 3) arrested persons can be detained without charge for up to 24 days with the possibility of extension; and 4) infringement of the power of the judiciary and restrictions on travel, even if the evidence of guilt is not strong or the person is on bail.
This Anti-Terrorism Law also broadened the definition of terrorism that makes it prone to a host of abuses. It likewise deleted safeguards under the previous Human Security Act of 2020 such as the penalty for wrongful accusations.
This is in contradiction to the primary duty of the Government to protect the people, to maintain peace and order and protect life, liberty, and property, which are essential to a democratic society.
People fear that the passage of the law signals an impending crackdown on dissenters and critics of the government, including criticism in relation to the government response to the COVID-19 pandemic. As President Duterte has a track record of being intolerant of dissent, granting him wide- ranging powers such as those provided for in this law is extremely dangerous. The new law is not only an attack against activists, human rights defenders and the political opposition, but also an attack against ordinary people who dare exercise their constitutional rights to “petition government for a redress of grievance” as provided for by the Philippine Constitution and international laws and instruments such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Recently, this draconian law led to the killing of Mr. Randall Echanis, a NDFP peace consultant and peasant leader and Zara Alvarez , a human rights defender brazenly executed with impunity.
The passage of the new Anti-Terrorism Law has been met with massive opposition from civil society and people’s organizations, professionals, religious groups, concerned individuals and members of the press. The United Nations (UN) human rights chief Michelle Bachelet had even urged President Duterte not to approve the bill during the 44th meeting of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) on 30 June 2020.
The Europe Network for Justice and Peace in the Philippines (ENJPP) welcomed this statement from Michelle Bachelet as well as her comprehensive report on the alarming human rights situation in the Philippines and its emphasis on the continuing impunity for human rights violations in the country.
Our Calls
Against the backdrop of these alarming developments and the deterioration of the human rights situation in the Philippines, members of ENJPP
- strongly believe that the Government of the Philippines should address the measures stated in the UNHRC comprehensive Report on the human rights situation in the Philippines. It is not only the constitutionality of this Anti-Terrorism Law that needs to be opposed and contested, but also the consequences for the basic human rights of the people.
- acknowledge the need for international accountability mechanisms to address the plague of injustice, impunity, and the deterioration of human rights in the country.
- support a broader and stronger call by the international community for an end to the killings and for a UNHRC resolution supporting impartial investigations in line with the OHCHR recommendation to the 45th UN Human Rights Council session which will be held on 14 September 2020 in Geneva.
The Second Summit aims to
1. Facilitate a favorable space for a dialogue among Philippine human rights advocates, their regional and international organizations, national policymakers and institutions, related non-government organizations, Philippines solidarity allies and friends representing trade unions, indigenous peoples and other sectors with Filipino and other migrant organizations, Icelandic politicians and civil society representatives.
2. Reiterate support for and appreciation of the Iceland-initiated and UNHRC adopted resolution.
3. Pledge to address human rights concerns by demanding justice and accountability from the Duterte government for the human rights violations it has committed. Discussion of possible forms of sanctions and pressure (diplomatic, political and/or economic) that can be exerted on the Duterte administration to stop the killings, end impunity, and bring perpetrators to justice.
4. To agree on and draw up a statement taking account of the calls described above.
10 September 2020
In view of this alarming culture of impunity, the Europe Network for Justice and Peace in the Philippines (ENJPP) considers it urgent to call for a Second Summit to be held on September 19, 2020 at 2 P.M., Central Europe Time. This second summit meeting follows on the first one that was held in Iceland a year ago in recognition of Iceland’s solidarity in submitting a resolution to the 41st Session of the UN Human Rights Council that called on the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to prepare a report on the human rights situation in the Philippines. ENJPP is a broad network of Philippine and European human rights advocates based in Europe coming from church groups, solidarity organizations, trade unions, non-government organizations and their institutions in Italy, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Belgium, Germany, France and Austria. We have invited resource speakers from the Philippines, Iceland, Australia and several others who will share updates, testimonies and reports from the ground. Solidarity messages from various organizations will also be presented.
In solidarity,
BISHOP ANTONIO ABLON, IFI
ENJPP Coordinator
Hamburg, Germany
“The recent passage of the new anti-terror bill heightens our concerns on the blurring of important distinctions between criticism, criminality and terrorism,”-United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet
“Ang problema natin sa mga pari, lalong lalo na sa mga probinsya, kasi sila ang puntahan ng mga tao, katutubo, sila ang tumutulong sa mga tao kapag walang pagkain,” ayon kay Bishop Pabillo.
https://philippines.licas.news/2020/07/10/anti-terrorism-law-mapanganib-sa-mga-pari-ayon-sa-obispo-ng-maynila/?fbclid=IwAR2KWLNfwn94ccUITBPKGGmFo9Y-j2mncHYIJ7IcnurbZTFCGq7nYuIs6to
Anti-terrorism law, mapanganib sa mga pari, ayon sa obispo ng Maynila | LiCAS.news Philippines | Catholic News in Asia | Licas News Karaniwan na sa mga pari ang tumulong sa mga dukha at sa mga taong pinagkakaitan ng karapatan at biktima ng mga pang-aabuso
The people must fight back. We are calling every freedom-loving Filipino not to take this gradual constriction and curtailment of our freedoms, but, stand up, resist, and fight the forces of darkness and repression
And unless we stand up, speak out, and vigorously oppose the tyranny in our midst, their conviction will not be the last.
Now is the time to speak and to act collectively before our freedom is lost!
Stand up, resist, and fight the forces
of darkness and repression!
Migrante Austria is outraged by the guilty verdict on Maria Ressa and Reynaldo Santos of Rappler. We join the Filipino people and the rest of the international community in condemning this most recent attack against press freedom and democracy in the Philippines.
The said case was based on article published by Rappler in 2012 that cites an "intelligence report” linking Wilfredo Keng, a businessman and the private complainant, to human trafficking and drug smuggling.
Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 (RA 1075) became law, and was used as the basis for a suit against Ressa and Santos filed in 2017 despite that criminal legislation cannot be applied retroactively or that liability had lapsed a year after the article was published under Article 90 of the Revised Penal Code (RPC). Clearly a stretch and a repressive interpretation of the law.
The decision was handed down on Monday, sentenced Ressa and Santos to pay P400,000 and face between six months and six years imprisonment. They are out on bail while they appeal the ruling.
This conviction on cyber-libel charges has dire implications on the state of press freedom and the people’s right to information and freedom of expression in the Philippines.
It will be noted that the silencing of critics and the attacks on the media has been going on for three years now.
Despite legal challenges, the Manila regional court handed down its guilty verdict in favor of Duterte crony, Wilfredo Keng.
It sends the dangerous message that journalists who expose misdeeds of those in power are more vulnerable to retaliation to silence them. It also sends an even more dangerous message to the public that anyone and everyone can be criminalized on their views and opinions.
According to Bayan Muna Party Congressman Carlos Zarate, this decision is another nail on the press freedom coffin and is very dangerous not just for journalists but for everybody who uses social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
It is but another demonstration of the Duterte government’s weaponization of law against those who dare speak truth to power.
With the conviction of Ressa and Santos, the shutdown of ABS-CBN, the killings and threats against journalists, the numerous violations faced by Filipinos on a daily basis and the passage of the terror bill, a full-blown dictatorship is made more palpable.
This verdict can be used to haul into court and jail anyone who exposes wrongdoing in government, an ominous sign of where the Duterte administration is going to bring our country.
The people must fight back. We are calling every freedom-loving Filipino not to take this gradual constriction and curtailment of our freedoms, but, stand up, resist, and fight the forces of darkness and repression
And unless we stand up, speak out, and vigorously oppose the tyranny in our midst, their conviction will not be the last.
Now is the time to speak and to act collectively before our freedom is lost!
Reference:
Michael Garlan
Secretary General, Migrante Austria
Mobile Phone no. +43 688 64588082
email: [email protected]