By SHERWIN DE VERA
Northern Dispatch
BAGUIO CITY — A major United Nations report has identified 40 countries, including the Philippines, where human rights defenders and organizations face “intimidation and reprisals due to cooperation or attempted cooperation” with the international body.
The report, released on October 1 by UN Secretary-General António Guterres, said more than 220 individuals and 25 organizations are under threat from state and non-state actors for engaging with the UN on human rights issues. Incidents recorded from May 1, 2022, to April 30, 2023, showed that intimidation and reprisals remain high. However, it also recognized that “the cases and situations reported do not reflect the actual breadth and scope of the issue.”
“Those at heightened risk included human rights defenders, activists, and journalists, as well as victims of human rights violations, witnesses and their relatives, lawyers, and trade unionists,” the report stated.
In the Philippines, the UN report noted the perjury case against the human rights group Karapatan filed by former National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon, Jr.
“Despite ongoing efforts, regrettably, the number of reported acts of intimidation and reprisal by State and non-State actors remains high, and their severity is very concerning,” said Ilze Brands Kehris, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, in his earlier oral presentation at the Human Rights Council in Geneva.
“In addition, when multiple United Nations actors raise concerns about the same cases or situations during a reporting period, that can point to the severity and widespread nature of the incidents—or both,” Kehris added.
Emerging trends
“In many countries, the civic space and the protection of the basic rights and fundamental freedoms needed to engage with the UN have increasingly come under attack, both online and offline. That includes long-standing democracies,” Kehris stated.
“In such a global context, it is becoming increasingly difficult to properly document, report, and respond to reprisal incidents,” he added.
While documented incidents are like previous cases, the report noted “emerging trends.” These include victims refusing to cooperate with the UN or opting to remain anonymous if they do so for fear of reprisal, including against their families and colleagues. The document also noted online and offline surveillance and physical monitoring by state agents of persons and groups engaging with the UN on human rights concerns.
The report also mentioned the creation of laws and policies “with the aim or effect of deterring or hindering cooperation with the United Nations.”In a 26-page report in June 2020, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights warned that the Anti-Terrorism Law “dilutes human rights safeguards” and “the vague definitions in the Anti-Terrorism Act may violate the principle of legality.” Since its enactment, the law has been used to file cases against activists and designate several leaders of people’s organizations as ‘terrorists.’ #nordis.net
