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Philippines - October 2022

Court denies government permission to declare Communist Party terrorist

A ruling on 21 September dismissed a Department of Justice petition filed by the government in 2018 seeking to declare the Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed wing to be "terrorist" groups. While considered a win by government critics and activists, analysts note that the government can still seek to declare groups as terrorists under the controversial Anti-Terror Act, adopted in 2020. The Regional Trial Court also raised concerns about the adverse impacts of "red tagging" on the right to freedom of expression - a common practice that senior officials have employed to label critics, activists and journalists as terrorists or insurgents, thereby exposing them to arrests or violent attacks. 

Sources: Rappler, The Diplomat 

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Rights 0 Rights  (0)
Civil Liberties
Freedom of Expression

Freedom of expression continues to decline

Human rights groups have warned that media repression continues to be normalized under the Marcos government. The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) documented 17 cases of press freedom violations since the new government took office, including 2 media killings, cyber libel arrests, red-tagging cases, and physical and online harassment, among other things. Despite a worrying decline in freedom of expression, civil society and media groups are actively working to push back on this repression in their efforts to deliver independent and critical news. 

Sources: The Diplomat, East Asia Forum 

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Rights 0 Rights  (0)
Civil Liberties
Freedom of Expression
Freedom of The Press