Daily Archives: 12/10/2021

Mexico: Rights lawyer Grisell Pérez disappeared for 200 days

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12/10/21

[Alerta Urgente] MÉXICO / Reportan como desaparecida desde el pasado 26 de marzo, en el Estado de México, a la defensora Grisell Pérez.
(ESPANOL)
ONU-DH exige condena la desaparición de las las defensoras Grisell Pérez y Claudia Uruchurtu
Cinco meses sin rastro de la activista Grisell Pérez, exigen búsqueda exhaustiva

https://lasillarota.com/nacion/onu-pide-esclarecer-desapariciones-de-activistas-de-dh-en-mexico/517592

Urge ONU localización de activistas desaparecidas

Integrated Bar of the Philippines count of lawyers killed under Duterte inaccurate

Sem categoria 12/10/2021 1 Comment

12/10/21

Your editorial “Impunity gone berserk” (9/22/2021) contains much with which all would agree—the killing of lawyers with impunity is a threat to the rule of law and therefore to a democratic Philippines. However, it seems that the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) has also gone berserk.

The number of lawyers killed under President Duterte, now 69, is lamentable, but it is nowhere near the 500-percent increase that the IBP proclaims and which, willy nillly, the media continues to trumpet unquestioningly. Unfortunately, the IBP continues to use the inaccurate numbers first produced by the Free Legal Assistance Group.

Here are the numbers recorded by the Monitoring Committee on Attacks on Lawyers of the International Association of People’s Lawyers: According to numerous monitoring groups, there were 18 lawyers killed from the Marcos to Estrada presidencies, 83 under President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, and 47 under President Benigno Aquino III. Thus, pre-Duterte there were at least 148 killings.

Your editorial cites the IBP claim that ”the number of lawyers killed since President Duterte came into power in 2016 has skyrocketed by 500 percent.” That is obviously a claim that cannot be justified. What is true is that at 1.1 lawyer killed per month, the rate under Mr. Duterte far exceeds the rates under his two predecessors: Arroyo at 0.74 and Aquino at 0.65.

The IBP would be well advised to seek ways in which the lawyers can protect themselves. Relying on the government, especially when state forces are involved in lawyer killings, is rather like waiting for snow in Manila. They might follow the example being set now in Nigeria where the national Bar has called a temporary boycott of the courts, in similar manner as in France, India, and Pakistan. Governments must be persuaded to act, and not only expected to do so.

Gill H. Boehringer

co-chair, Monitoring Committee on Attacks on Lawyers, International Association of People’s Lawyers

IBP count of lawyers killed under Duterte inaccurate
UN human rights exec worries about safety of lawyers, judges in PH
Rights groups urge UNHRC to set up system for collecting evidence on EJKs

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/10/01/21/group-seeks-independent-probe-on-rights-abuses-in-ph

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/10/07/21/un-rights-chief-urges-ph-publish-drug-war-findings

https://www.voanews.com/a/un-report-cites-no-accountability-for-philippines-extra-judicial-killings/6261082.html

https://manilastandard.net/opinion/columns/eagle-eyes-by-tony-la-vina/366582/communications-submitted-to-the-icc.html

Joint oral statement to the Human Rights Council on the Philippines
UN: ICJ stresses lack of accountability for human rights violations in the Philippines
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final-report-to-supreme-court-philippines-1-october-2021-1Download
final-report-to-supreme-court-philippines-1-october-2021-1Download