Seventy-five Filipino and foreign attorneys on Monday stood behind the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers and said they are “disturbed” by attacks against the group of human rights lawyers.
The signatories to a solidarity statement expressed “grave concern” over “heightening attacks” against their fellow lawyers in the Philippines, particularly NUPL members, who are allegedly red-tagged and threatened.
“The red-tagging of NUPL is contrary to basic rules of evidence, due process and fair play,” reads the statement released Monday. “Political harassment undermines the rule of law and substitutes it with the law of rulers.”
Vouching for the “character, competence, and courage” of the NUPL’s pro bono human rights lawyers, the statement added that dissent and criticism are an exercise of democratic rights.
They were joined by lawyers from India, Australia, South Africa the United Kingdom, Belgium, Bangladesh, the United States, France, Canada, Austria, Italy, the Netherlands, Pakistan, Honduras, Japan, South Korea, Brazil, Iraq, Greece, Puerto Rico, Germany, Nepal, and Turkey.
Statement of Support and Solidarity with Lawyers of the People
As of 29 Apr 2019
10pm
Signatories:
Ada Abad (Philippines)
Dean, Adamson College of Law
Pacifico Agabin (Philippines)
Professor, UP Law
Jose Luis Agcaoili (Philippines)
Agcaoili and Associates
June Ambrosio (Philippines)
National Director,
National Center for Legal Aid
Integrated Bar of the Philippines
Domingo Anonuevo (Philippines)
Free Legal Assistance Group
Rafael Aquino (Philippines)
Partner, SPASLAW
Issouf Baadhio (France)
President,
Union Internationale des Avocats
Plutarco Bawagan Jr. (Philippines)
UP Law Batch 1987
Purificacion Bartolome-Bernabe
(Philippines)
President, International Pro Bono Alliance
Niloufer Bhagwat (India)
Vice President,
Confederation of Lawyers in Asia Pacific
Gill Boehringer (Australia)
International Association of People’s Lawyers
Max Boqwana (South Africa)
National Association of Democratic Lawyers
Bill Bowring (UK)
President, European Association of Lawyers for Democracy and World Human Rights
Pura Ferrer-Calleja (Philippines)
Free Legal Assistance Group
Joke Callewart (Belgium)
Progress Lawyers Network
Arnel Paciano Casanova (Philippines)
Lecturer, UP Law
Md. Hasan Tarique Chowdhury (Bangladesh)
Democratic Lawyers Association of Bangladesh
Marjorie Cohn (US)
Professor Emerita,
Thomas Jefferson School of Law
Norma Jullien Cravotta (France)
Lawyer at the Paris Bar
Amor Datinguinoo (Philippines)
Integrated Bar of the Philippines-Makati
Gail Davidson (Canada)
Executive Director,
Lawyers’ Rights Watch Canada
Jose Manuel Diokno (Philippines)
Evelyn Duermayer (Austria)
International Association of Democratic Lawyers
Elena Esposito (Italian)
Giuristi Democratici
Jan Fermon (Belgium)
Secretary General,
International Association of Democratic Lawyers
Ricardo Fernandez Jr. (Philippines)
Movement of Attorneys for Brotherhood, Integrity and Nationalism
Russell Fraser (UK)
Chair, Haldane Society of Socialist Lawyers
Ruben Fruto (Philippines)
Law Practitioner
Johannes Karel Gaasbeek (Netherlands)
Day of Endangered Lawyers Foundation
Symone Gaasbeek (Netherlands)
Gaasbeek and Gaasbeek Lawyers
Muhammad Masaud Ghani (Pakistan)
Democratic Lawyers Association of Pakistan
Caridad Gonzales (Philippines)
Ateneo Law Class 1989
Dennis Gorecho (Philippines)
Alumni, UP Law
Krish Govender (South Africa)
National Association of Democratic Lawyers
Robert Sabata Gripekoven (Spain)
President, European Democratic Lawyers
David Israel Díaz Hernández (Honduras)
Human Rights Defenders Alliance
Florin Hilbay (Philippines)
Former Solicito General
Lennox Hinds (US)
Professor Emeritus,
Rutgers University
Hajime Inoue (Japan)
Japanese Lawyers for International Solidarity
Charlotte Kates (US)
National Lawyers Guild
Jang Kyunguk (South Korea)
Minbyun Lawyers for a Democratic Society
Antonio Gabriel La Viña (Philippines)
Professor of Law, Governance, and Philosophy
Nelson Loyola (Philippines)
Nelson Loyola Law Office
Beth Lyons (US)
Alternate Delegate to U.N.,
International Association of Democratic Lawyers
Ernesto Maceda Jr. (Philippines)
Former Dean,
College of Law, Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila
Fabio Marcelli (Italy)
Italian Democratic Lawyers
Felix Marinas Jr. (Philippines)
Free Legal Assistance Group
Jeanne Mirer (US)
President,
International Association of Democratic Lawyers
Luis Carlos Moro (Brazil)
American Association of Jurists
Sabah Al-Mukhtar (Iraq)
President,
Arab Lawyers Association
Osamu Niikura (Japan)
Professor Emeritus,
Aoyama Gakuin University
Mvuso Notyesi (South Africa)
National Association of Democratic Lawyers
Virgilio Ocaya (Philippines)
Free Legal Assistance Group
Carlos Orjuela (UK)
Joint International Secretary,
Haldane Society of Socialist Lawyers
Angel Reñon Orozco (Philippines)
Orozco Law Office
Alexander Padilla (Philippines)
Free Legal Assistance Group
Ties Prakken (Netherlands)
Professor, Maastricht University
Roberto Rafael Pulido (Philippines)
Convenor, Manananggol Laban sa EJK
Yiannis Rachiotis (Greece)
Hellenic Union of Progressive Lawyers
Vanessa Ramos (Puerto Rico)
Asociación Americana de Juristas
Emiluz E. Pascasio-Reyes (Philippines)
Reyes & Teodoro Law Offices
Stuart Russell (France)
International Association of People’s Lawyers
Rene Saguisag (Philippines)
Movement of Attorneys for Brotherhood, Integrity and Nationalism
Arno Sanidad (Philippines)
Free Legal Assistance Group
Pablito Sanidad (Philippines)
Free Legal Assistance Group
Jun Sasamoto (Japan)
Secretary General,
Confederation of Lawyers in Asia Pacific
Micòl Savia (Italy)
Permanent Representative to the U.N. in Geneva,
International Association of Democratic Lawyers
Thomas Schmidt (Germany)
Secretary General,
European Association of Lawyers for Democracy and World Human Rights
Azadeh Shahshahani (US)
Legal & Advocacy Director, Project South
Ghanendra Shrestha (Nepal)
Progressive Peoples Lawyers Association (PPLA)
Mary Kathryn Sison (Philippines)
Free Legal Assistance Group
Filibon Tacardon (Philippines)
Former Vice President,
IBP Quezon City Chapter
Lorenzo Tanada III (Philippines)
Free Legal Assistance Group
Amado Danilo Tayag (Philippines)
Alumni, UP Law
Theodore Te (Philippines)
Free Legal Assistance Group
Le Thi Kim Thanh (Vietnam)
Director,
Center for Legal Consultancy
Evalyn Ursua (Philippines)
Women’s Initiatives for Socio-Cultural and Economic Rights
Serife Ceren Uysal (Turkey)
Progressive Lawyers Association
Pilita Venturanza (Philippines)
IBP Oriental Mindoro
Susan Villanueva (Philippines)
Professor, UP College of Law
Gregorio Tanaka Viterbo Jr. (Philippines)
Chair,
Free Legal Assistance Group-
Metro Manila
Also:
Progressive Lawyers Association (Turkey):
Adil Anlama
Ali Safak
Fatma Arda Bicaz
Özge Serdar
Gülvin Aydin
Seyit Sönmez
Kemal Aytac
Adnan Kaya
Ahmet Bozkurt Çağlar
Ahmet Çevik
Ahmet Mandacı
Ali Akıncı
Ali Aydın
Ali Kaya
Ali Reşat Öztürk
Alihan Pilaf
Aycan Çiçek
Aylin Onursev
Ayşe Zilan
Ayşegül Çağatay
Aytaç Ünsal
Aytül Kaplan
Barkın Timtik
Barzan Demirhan
Bedirhan Tuna Yıldız
Behiç Aşçı
Berrak Çağlar
Bülent Şimşek
Canan Gözcü
Cemal Doğan
Cemre Topal
Çağla Deniz Felamur
Çiğdem Akbulut
Deniz Yıldırım
Dervis Emre Aydın
Didem Baydar Ünsal
Dinçer Çalım
Diren Yeşil
Duygu Mandacı
Elvan Olkun
Emel Diril
Emine Ufuktepe
Emrah Altunoğlu
Emre Erdal
Engin Gökoğlu
Ercan Avşar
Erdoğan Akdoğdu
Ergin Sözen
Evin Konuk
Eylem Kocaman Üsgüdar
Ezgi Çakır
Fahri Doğan
Fatma Kaymaz Son
Fırat Aktaş
Funda Buyruk
Gamze Güven
Gökmen Yeşil
Görgün Danacı
Görkem Ağdede
Gül Altay
Gülten Anlar
Güray Dağ
Hadi Cin
Halime Şenli Bilgin
Hasan Hüseyin Evin
Hatice Aslan Atabay
Hayati Bora
Hazal Aydın
Hüseyin Korkmaz
Hüseyin Yüksel Biçen
Irmak Başaçık
İhsan Şahabettin Örsal
İlahi Öz
İlhan Gül Kireçkaya
İlknur Önal Tarkan
İlyas Danyeli
İsmail Bozkurt
Kazım Bayraktar
Kenan Arslan
Kıvanç Kayaoğlu
Mehmet Altuntaş
Muharrem Erdogan
Murat Yılmaz
Mustafa Çinkılıç
Mustafa Ufacık
Müge Gezginci
Mürsel Ünder
Nadide Özdemir
Nazan Betül Vangölü Kozağaçlı
Necmi Biçen
Nergiz Tuba Aslan
Neslihan Piliç
Nilgün Gürbüz
Nilgün Özkan
Nurettin Tanış
Özge Usanmaz
Özgür Yakut
Öztürk Armağan
Rahim Yılmaz
Rıza Karaman
Sabahattin Gümüş
Sabri Yurdakul
Sebahat Gençtarih
Sebahattin Demir
Sefa Aydoğan
Seher Dursun
Selçuk Kozağaçlı
Serdar Gedik
Sevil Aracı Bek
Sevinç Sarıkaya
Şiar Rişvanoğlu
Şule Arslan Hızal
Tamer Doğan
Tarkan Özdemir
Tugay Bek
Ülkü Tolunay
Ümit Büyükdağ
Vahap Kuzu
Yağmur Ereren Evin
Yaprak Türkmen
Yurdagül Gündoğan
Zana Yavaş
Zehra Özdemir
Zeycan Balcı
Zeynel Kaya
IAPL Monitoring Committee on Attacks on Lawyers 