Brief description of the situation:
The Observatory has been informed by Karapatan - the Alliance for the Advancement of People’s Rights - of the judicial harassment of Karapatan National Council member Daisy ‘Jackie’ Valencia.
On September 25, 2020, the Regional Trial Court Branch 30 in Tagum, Davao del Norte Province, issued an arrest warrant for Daisy ‘Jackie’ Valencia. However, she was only recently made aware through a reliable sourceof the murder charges pressed against her. At the time of publication of this Urgent Appeal, Ms. Valencia had not received any formal notice from the Court.
Daisy ‘Jacky’ Valencia is accused of being a member of an armed rebel group responsible for the killing of Mr. Garito Tiklonay Malibato on March 22, 2018 in Mindanao, although she was not in Mindanao when the killing took place. It is believed that Mr. Malibato was killed by members of the paramilitary group Alamara, from which he was receiving death threats for his work with indigenous people’s organisation Karadyawan.
The Observatory notes that since 2018, Daisy ‘Jackie’ Valencia has been a victim of red-tagging[1]. Her name has appeared on leaflets in Isabela and Cagayan provinces that label her as a “communist” and a “terrorist” and link her to the armed opposition group New People’s Army (NPA).
The Observatory recalls that since President Duterte took power in June 2016, human rights defenders have faced relentless vilification and red-tagging, and have been repeatedly subjected to trumped-up charges and lengthy pre-trial arbitrary detention, with the aim to discredit their legitimate work and to silence critical voices. Karapatan members have been subjected to frequent harassment, criminalisation and attacks, including the killing of Ms. Zara Alvarez in August 2020.
The Observatory expresses its utmost concern over the judicial harassment of Daisy ‘Jackie’ Valencia as it seems to be only aimed at punishing her for her legitimate human rights activities.
The Observatory urges the Philippines authorities to immediately and unconditionally drop the charges against Daisy ‘Jackie’ Valencia and to put an end to all acts of harassment against her, including at the judicial level.
Actions requested:
Please write to the authorities of the Philippines asking them to:
i. Guarantee in all circumstances the physical integrity and psychological well-being of Daisy ‘Jackie’ Valencia and all other human rights defenders in the country.
ii. Immediately and unconditionally drop the charges against Daisy ‘Jackie’ Valencia,as they seem to be merely aimed at punishing her for her human rights activities.
iii. Guarantee the unhindered access of Daisy ‘Jackie’ Valencia to a lawyer of her choosing and to her family members;
iv. Put an end to all acts of harassment against Daisy ‘Jackie’ Valencia andall other human rights defenders in the Philippines, and ensure that they are able to carry out their legitimate activities without any hindrance and fear of reprisals.
Addresses:
· Mr. Rodrigo Duterte, President of the Republic of the Philippines, Email: op@president.gov.ph or send a message through http://president.gov.ph/contact-us/;
· Mr. Teodoro Locsin Jr, Secretary, Department of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines, Email: osec@dfa.gov.ph;
· Hon. Menardo Guevarra, Secretary, Department of Justice of the Philippines, Email: communications@doj.gov.ph;
· Hon. Jose Luis Martin Gascon, Chairperson, Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines, Email: chairgascon.chr@gmail.com;
· Police General Oscar Albayalde, Chief, Philippine National Police, Email: pnpo.adm1n@gmail.com; ocpnp@pnp.gov.ph; srocpnp@yahoo.com
· H.E. Mr. Evan P. Garcia, Ambassador, Permanent Mission of the Philippines to the United Nations Office in Geneva, Switzerland, Email: mission@genevapm.ph;
· Embassy of the Philippines in Brussels, Email: brusselspe@gmail.com .
Please also write to the diplomatic representations of the Philippines in your respective countries.
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Geneva-Paris, February 4, 2021
Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal in your reply.
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (the Observatory) was created in 1997 by the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) and FIDH. The objective of this programme is to prevent or remedy situations of repression against human rights defenders. OMCT and FIDH are both members of ProtectDefenders.eu, the European Union Human Rights Defenders Mechanism implemented by international civil society.
To contact the Observatory, call the emergency line:
· E-mail: Appeals@fidh-omct.org
· Tel OMCT + 41 22 809 49 39
· Tel FIDH + 33 1 43 55 25 18
[1] “Red-tagging” is the process of labelling individuals or groups perceived to be critical of the government as “terrorists” and/or “communists”.