Hiked use of anti-terror law under Marcos Jr.'s regime

AT GROUND LEVEL

- Satur C. Ocampo

Since International Human Rights Day is being observed on Monday, let's look now into the performance of the Marcos Jr. administration on these issues. The picture I've seen is worrisome, to say the least.

During the first six months of this year, the human rights alliance Karapatan observed, the government has increasingly weaponized the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) of 2020 and the Terrorism Financing and Suppression Act (TFSA) of 2012 against human rights defenders, political activists and other dissenters.

This has resulted in the shrinking of civic space and the "critical deterioration of the human rights situation in the country." During the period, Karapatan noted, at least 112 activists have faced complaints or charges in court based on the ATA and TFSA, which it described as "evil twin" legislations birthed under the Duterte regime.

Amid the rightful optimism raised by hopes that former president Duterte may finally have to face the International Criminal Court, there was another development that attracted less attention than it deserves.

Last Sept. 27, the United Nations Special Rapporteur (UNSR) on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, Irene Khan, invoking her mandate by the UN Human Rights Council, wrote to the Office of the President about the result of her recent official visit to the Philippines.

Khan brought to Malacañang's attention the information she had received concerning allegations of extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, arrests and arbitrary detentions, strategic lawsuits against public participation and judicial harassment. (There's now an acronym - SLAPPS - to designate lawsuits meant to dissuade government critics from continuing to produce negative publicity.)