We of the Ecumenical Advocacy Network on the Philippines (EANP) are deeply troubled by the “terrorist list” of 600 individuals recently issued by President Duterte. It includes human rights defenders, Catholic priests, drug war dissenters, and the UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous People, Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, herself an advocate for the rights of Philippine indig- enous people. This action by the Duterte Administration puts at risk the lives of those on the list, they have been tagged by the Philippine Government as “communist rebels”. In support of this action, the Philippine Department of Justice submitted the list to a Manila court for processing of arrest warrants and filing of cases. By doing so, dissent and defense of human rights have been criminalized and are now life-threatening commitments.
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