[Statement] All Filipinos casualties if impunity continues in Duterte anti-drug and anti-crime campaign -ALG

Human Rights Online Philippines

All Filipinos casualties if impunity continues  in Duterte anti-drug and anti-crime campaign  

The Alternative Law Groups (ALG) Inc. asserts that human rights and due process must be upheld  in the continuing anti-drug and anti-crime campaign under the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte.

As a national coalition of legal resource nongovernmental organizations that adhere to the principles  and values of alternative or developmental law, we demand greater transparency and accountability in the implementation of the government’s campaign.

We are deeply concerned with the rising incidence of extrajudicial and alleged vigilante killings,  torture and other inhumane practices related to this campaign. We believe that perpetrators  should be punished, including local government officials, law enforcers and private citizens if found  guilty, following the immediate probe of such cases under the law.

Members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) must strictly adhere to commitment to human rights. The organization itself refers to “community…

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[Statement] Promoting public safety and security is about observance of and respect for human rights and the rule of law -Balay

Human Rights Online Philippines

Promoting public safety and security is about observance of and respect for human rights and the rule of law

The wanton  disregard for law, rising criminality, terrorism and insurgency has created in the public mind  an impression of a chaotic and dangerous society. Reports about murder and other crimes – many of which are related to drug use and abuse –  have become staple news that tend to jar one’s senses, resulting either to a feeling of helplessness or to utter loss of trust on authorities to protect the right of citizens against lawless violence.

The apparent inability of law enforcers to keep the public safe  evokes an impression that the authorities are inept, if not in connivance with those who profit from breaking the law.

With public safety and security in mind, President Duterte, as soon as he rose to power on June 30, has officially declared war on…

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[Right-Up] The social costs, perils, and lack of depth of the Duterte approach in addressing crime and drugs-iDEFEND

Human Rights Online Philippines

The social costs, perils, and lack of depth of the Duterte approach in addressing crime and drugs
A paper for iDEFEND
Ellecer Ebro Carlos
July 2016

The social backdrop of the “war” against crime and drugs

Photo by Rommel Yamzon

The EDSA Revolution never ushered in the radical social reforms it promised, the redistribution of the nation’s wealth never took place and essential services were never democratized. Actual political and economic power was merely transferred from Marcos and his cronies to another small group coming from the Philippines’ privileged class, becoming the oligarchy we know today. It is true that some space was then produced which enabled some reclaiming of institutions, a struggle still being fought today.

30 years after EDSA I, Philippine Politics and Economy remains captured by 40 families and their affiliates who have since treated their public posts as profit making ventures effectively denying the vast majority…

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[Urgent Action] Urgent action: Hundreds killed under Philippines’ new President -AI

What’s really happening in the Philippines? Is the law of the jungle now official means of fighting drug crime?

Human Rights Online Philippines

Urgent action: Hundreds killed under Philippines’ new President

Hundreds of criminal suspects allegedly linked to the drug trade have been killed since June 30, the day President Duterte took office in the Philippines. Some of these cases may amount to extrajudicial executions.

Hundreds have been killed by police and vigilantes in the Philippines since June 30, President Duterte’s first day as the President of the Philippines. Amongst those killed, over 120 of the deceased remain unidentified. The alarming increase of unlawful killings, some of which may amount to extrajudicial executions, has been observed since the day President Duterte took office and vowed to crackdown on crime.

In a 5 June speech on national television, during his Presidential campaign, President Duterte appeared to encourage citizens to perform “duties” by killing suspected drug criminals. Since becoming President, Duterte has repeated his promise to stamp out drug crime, calling on law enforcement agencies…

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[Press Release] Civil society launches #FreeThe5KH campaign in support of the imprisoned ADHOC staff and NEC official

Great initiative by the civil society groups I must say.

Human Rights Online Philippines

Civil society launches #FreeThe5KH campaign in support of the imprisoned ADHOC staff and NEC official

We, the undersigned civil society organizations and non-governmental organizations, launch today – 8 August 2016 – the #FreeThe5KH campaign in support of the five human rights defenders, who are currently in pre-trial detention and under judicial investigation for allegations of bribery.  The five face charges in regard to providing advice and legitimate reimbursement of food and transport costs to the woman alleged to have had an extra-marital relationship with the deputy opposition leader, Kem Sokha. The charges have all the hallmarks of being politically motivated, amounting to legal harassment. The five rights defenders have now spent over 100 days in prison (102 days as of today).

As part of the campaign, we call on all concerned citizens to send messages of solidarity to the five rights defenders via postcards, which we will collect and deliver…

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[Press Release] The Role of Civil Society and ASEAN Bodies in Achieving a People-centered ASEAN -ACSC/APF 2016

Human Rights Online Philippines

The Role of Civil Society and ASEAN Bodies in Achieving a People-centered ASEAN

Dili, Timor-Leste – 05-08-2016- The final day of the ACSC/APF 2016 examined the progress and efficacy of ASEAN and its mechanisms in achieving a people-centered community.

H.E. Mr. Xanana Gusmao, Minister of Strategic Investment in Timor-Leste, engaging participants in an open dialogue, commented on the historical importance of ASEAN as a people’s movement, stating: “When Timor-Leste was suffering and the rest of the world had forsaken it, international civil society, ASEAN civil society, stood with us.”

Minister Gusmao also discussed the ongoing need for civil society to monitor and restrain the actions of the state, keeping the state accountable. To this end, he said, “We must celebrate the success of ASEAN…but we must have a growing sense of solidarity and plan of action for the future.”

Minister Gusmao concluded his address with a request for solidarity from…

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Who Counts as a Futurist? Whose Future Counts?

Great thought

mathbabe

This is a guest post by Matilde Marcolli, a mathematician and theoretical physicist, who also works on information theory and computational linguistics. She studied theoretical physics in Italy and mathematics at the University of Chicago. She worked at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Max Planck Institute for Mathematics, and is currently a professor at Caltech. This post in in response to Cathy’s last post.

History of Futurism

For a good part of the past century the term “futurism” conjured up the image of a revolutionary artistic and cultural movement that flourished in Russia and Italy in the first two decades of the century. In more recent times and across the Atlantic, it has acquired a different connotation, one related to speculative thought about the future of advanced technology. In this later form, it is often explicitly associated to the speculations of a group of Silicon Valley tycoons and their acolytes.

Their musings revolve around a number of…

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[GOOGLE] #HOMICIDE: THIS GOOGLE MANAGER MAY HAVE BEEN MURDERED WHILE JOGGING?! READ:

the BRAND RADIO.

​27 year old Vanessa Marcotte ’s dead body was found unclad and burnt in a wooded area of Massachusetts , on Sunday night (August 7th) near her mum’s house in Princeton after she went jogging .

photo: Vanessa Marcotte

Police believe she was sexually assaulted before she was set on fire at the crime scene . Detectives believe the incident was a homicide and are now searching for suspects in the mystery case.

A state police source told correspondents that Vanessa had burns on her hands , feet and part of her head .

Internet search giant Google has paid tribute to Vanessa , in a statement the company said ;

“ Vanessa Marcotte was a much loved member of the Google team , working in our New York office for the last year and a half, and known for her ubiquitous smile, passion for volunteer work and love of…

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