German Embassy urges Marcos admin to resolve murder case

The German Embassy in the Philippines has joined calls for the Philippine government to hold the killers of rights activist Zara Alvarez to account, saying that the government's ability to pursue justice for all slain rights defenders in the country is a "critical test for the rule of law.

- Cristina Chi/Philstar.com

Alvarez, former education director at rights group Karapatan, was gunned down by unidentified assailants in Bacolod City in August 2020. She is one of dozens of activists who were killed under former President Rodrigo Duterte, whose term was marked by a sustained crackdown on rights defenders and civil society groups on top of a violent campaign against illegal drugs.

Germany’s embassy in Manila on Sunday issued a statement on the fifth anniversary of Alvarez’s death, calling her case “a stark reminder of the grave dangers facing human rights defenders” in the Philippines.

“Five years on, justice for her and her family remains elusive,” the embassy said in its statement.