Political prisoners in Camp Bagong Diwa, including three organizers of the Confederation for Unity, Recognition and Advancement of Government Employees (COURAGE), expressed their support for Karapatan and other human rights and people’s organizations who remain critical against the anti-people policies and campaigns of the Duterte government. The political detainees have weighed in on the issue of red-tagging, in light of Brig. General Antonio Parlade’s false accusations against Karapatan, IBON, the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines, and other organizations.
They urged the Filipino public to be wary against attacks on human rights defenders. “Ang atake sa Karapatan ay dapat na ipangamba at kondenahin ng sambayanan. Mali na ipagkibit-balikat na lamang ito at hintayin na may maging kasunod na biktima (The attack against Karapatan is alarming, and it should be condemned. It is wrong to shrug off this issue and wait for the next victim),” they expressed in a statement sent to Karapatan.
