Carlos H. Conde
Human Rights Watch
Philippines
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Past articles by Carlos:
ICC Authorizes Resumed Philippines Investigation
A panel of judges at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague has authorized the Office of the Prosecutor to resume its investigation into alleged crimes against humanity in the Philippines. → Read More
Fatal Beating by Police Roils the Philippines
Police in the Philippines again appear responsible for the fatal beating of a man in their custody. Videos of the incident, which went viral, allegedly show Police Staff Sergeant Ronald Gamayon of the Southern Leyte provincial police beating Gilbert Ranes with his bare hands on a busy street in Maasin City. → Read More
Philippines Swiftly Investigates Journalist’s Killing
The Philippine authorities responded with uncharacteristic speed to the fatal shooting of hard-hitting broadcast journalist Percival Mabasa, popularly known as Percy Lapid. → Read More
Killing of Radio Journalist in Philippines Adds to Grim Toll
Unidentified gunmen on Monday evening fatally shot Percival Mabasa, popularly known on-air and online as Percy Lapid, in Las Pinas, the latest in a long line of targeted killings of journalists in the Philippines. He was the second journalist killed since President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. took office on June 30. → Read More
UN Rights Office Slams Abuses in Philippines
The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) released a report on September 13 calling on the Philippine government to address serious gaps on human rights, particularly regarding accountability for abuses linked to the “war on drugs.” → Read More
Philippine Activist Arrested for Cyber-libel
Philippine police on Monday arrested Walden Bello, a 76-year-old social activist, academic, and former congressman, at his home in Quezon City on charges of cyber-libel. The arrest was based on allegations by Jefry Tupas, a former information officer for Vice President Sara Duterte. Bello spent the night in jail before being released after paying bail. → Read More
New Philippine Security Adviser Urges End to ‘Red-Tagging’
The incoming national security adviser to Philippines’ President-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr. says she intends to stop “red-tagging,” the longtime counterinsurgency tactic in which leftist activists and critics of the government are accused of being members of the communist movement. → Read More
Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s Contempt for the Philippine Press
As Marcos prepares to assume the presidency on June 30, his contempt for the media could pose serious risks for democracy in the Philippines. Ignoring critical publications is bad enough, but Marcos Jr. will have tools at his disposal to muzzle the media in a manner that the elder Marcos, no supporter of press freedom, could only dream of. → Read More
Killing of Journalist, Criminal Libel in the Philippines
Another journalist has been killed in the Philippines, the 22nd during the presidency of Rodrigo Duterte. → Read More
Philippines Loses Staunch Rights Defender
Jose Luis Martin Gascon, known to all as “Chito,” who had chaired the governmental Commission on Human Rights since 2015, died October 9 from complications due to Covid-19, his family said. He was 57. → Read More
Duterte is worried about the ICC. He should be.
At the center of all this violence is Rodrigo Duterte, the longtime mayor of Davao City who parlayed his tough-guy image into a potent political force that got him elected president in 2016. Many Filipinos love, adore and make excuses for his steady stream of crude, unrestrained remarks using the pretext of law and order to sell his “drug war.” They believe that he is the leader who — after… → Read More
Philippines Adopts ‘Drug War’ Measures Against Activists
These measures put leftist activists and others at grave risk by “red-tagging” them, a long-time government practice of linking individuals to the communist insurgents. → Read More
Philippine President’s Tired, Old ‘Drug War’ Rhetoric
The Philippine government has extolled a new United Nations program as a clear indication of its commitment to human rights – a spin that flies in the face of the bloody rights catastrophe that is the government’s “war on drugs.” → Read More
Philippines Loses a Press Freedom Fighter
The Philippines lost one of its foremost press freedom fighters Wednesday night. Jose Jaime Espina, popularly known as “Nonoy,” died from liver cancer just days after recovering from Covid-19, his family said. He was 59. → Read More
Police Killing, Caught on Video, Riles the Philippines
The fatal shooting in Quezon City of Lilybeth Valdez, a 52-year-old mother, was caught on video and was disturbingly reminiscent of a December 2020 police killing. The public outcry was swift. → Read More
New Philippines Police Chief Signals Change
Two recent developments signal possible improvement in the conduct of the Philippine National Police (PNP), which has been deeply implicated in President Rodrigo Duterte’s deadly “war on drugs” and other abuses. → Read More
Record High Killing of Philippine Lawyers
More lawyers have been killed in the five years since President Rodrigo Duterte took office than under any other government in Philippine history. → Read More
Troubling Raid on Philippine Indigenous School
On Monday, police in the central Philippine city of Cebu raided a temporary school for displaced Indigenous children and detained 26 people, including 19 children. → Read More
Duterte Should Leave Alone Philippines TV Network
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte declared this week that he would not recognize any new license granted by Congress to ABS-CBN, the major television network that the government forced off the air in July 2020. → Read More
Philippines Takes Step to Protect Children
The Philippines House of Representatives took an important step this week to protect children with the passage of a bill raising the age of sexual consent from 12 years, one of the lowest in the world, to 16. → Read More