Apr 27, 2022 | DFF, Statements
JAKARTA – Parliamentarians from Southeast Asia are launching a social media campaign addressed to Presidential Candidates in the upcoming 2022 Philippine national and local elections urging them to make a pledge to immediately and unconditionally drop all the trumped-up charges against Senator De Lima and release her from unjust detention, if elected.
ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) invites netizens in the region and beyond to join in the campaign on Twitter and other social media platforms, which will use the hashtag #PledgeToFreeLeila, and will ask the presidential candidates to publicly pledge to have Senator De Lima’s immediate release a priority of their government if elected. APHR has designed a toolkit with orientation for those willing to join the campaign that can be accessed here.
“People who value democracy in the Philippines and elsewhere are outraged at this gross miscarriage of justice. They can use social media to express their discontent and ask the next President to try and right the many wrongs done to Senator De Lima and release her as soon as they assume the presidency,” said Charles Santiago, Member of Parliament from Malaysia, and APHR Chairperson.
Philippine Senator Leila De Lima has now spent virtually the entirety of her six-year term as Senator unjustly imprisoned, simply for carrying out her duty as legislator to hold the authorities accountable for their crimes.
As a human rights lawyer and advocate, Senator De Lima has been one of the staunchest critics of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s infamous war on drugs, which has resulted in thousands of extrajudicial killings throughout the country. She was arrested on 24 February 2017, shortly after she had launched a Senate investigation into these extrajudicial killings, and she has remained in detention ever since.
The trumped-up charges against De Lima are clearly politically-motivated. In November 2018, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention found that her imprisonment “lacks a legal basis” and is a form of reprisal due to her human rights work. On 17 February 2021, the Senator was acquitted in one of three cases against her, but her remaining two cases are ongoing.
“There cannot be any doubt of Senator De Lima’s innocence as well as her commitment to democracy and human rights. Releasing her should be one of the first priorities of the next President if they want to restore a modicum of justice and rule of law in the government of the country,” said Santiago.
Apr 6, 2022 | DFF, Statements
JAKARTA – Parliamentarians from Southeast Asia are alarmed by the dangerous use of offline and online disinformation during the campaign for the national and local elections on 9 May in the Philippines. Smear campaigns are a grave threat to democracy and the safety and security of candidates, and all concerned authorities must ensure a free, fair, and peaceful electoral process, ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) said.
The administration of President Rodrigo Duterte has a history of attempting to silence its critics by attacking them with unfounded accusations of having links with the Communist insurgency of the New People’s Army; or of being involved in the trafficking of illicit narcotics. These tactics, known in the Philippines as ‘red-tagging’ and ‘narco-tagging’ have in some occasions resulted in the individual identified being killed.
“Such attacks against candidates who have experienced public ‘red-tagging’ or ‘narco-tagging’ are a form of intimidation that should not take place in a democracy. Not only will they have a significant impact on the fairness of the elections, they also pose a serious threat to the safety and security of candidates,” said Charles Santiago, Member of Parliament from Malaysia, and APHR Chairperson.
The most egregious example of ‘narco-tagging’ is the arbitrary arrest and unjust detention of Leila De Lima, a Philippine Senator and APHR member who has been unfairly jailed for five years after attempting to hold authorities accountable for the reported crimes committed during the war on drugs.
More recently, Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HNP or Alliance for Change), a political party founded by Sara Duterte who is currently running for the Vice-Presidency, accused its rival Walden Bello of being a ‘narco-politician’. In a statement, HNP ‘narco-tagged’ Mr Bello, a former Philippine Member of Parliament and Board Member of APHR who is running for Vice-President under the Laban ng Masa (Fight of the Masses) political party. The accusation came after he called out Sara Duterte’s absence in the electoral debates and demanded answers on the issue of illegal drug trade in Davao City, where she currently serves as Mayor.
“The smear campaigns against candidates should stop immediately. It is incumbent on all parties concerned, including the relevant authorities and candidates, to ensure a peaceful environment during all the stages in the electoral process, one that is free from fear, intimidation, harassment, and violence, as an important ingredient to conduct a genuinely democratic process,” Santiago said.
Feb 24, 2022 | DFF, Statements
JAKARTA – Half a decade after her arbitrary arrest, Southeast Asian parliamentarians have renewed their calls for the immediate and unconditional release of Leila De Lima, Philippine Senator and a member of ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR).
“Senator De Lima has now spent the vast majority of her six-year term as Senator unjustly detained in prison, seemingly targeted for attempting to hold authorities to account,” said Charles Santiago, APHR Chair and a Malaysian Member of Parliament (MP). “She continues to faithfully perform her duties as a legislator, despite being incarcerated, and serves as a voice to defend and protect victims of human rights abuses. We, her fellow parliamentarians in the region, applaud her fortitude and deep commitment to serving the people, despite the injustices she continues to endure.”
A human rights lawyer and advocate, Senator De Lima has been one of the staunchest critics of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s infamous war on drugs, which has resulted in thousands of cases of extrajudicial killings in the country. Before her arrest, Senator De Lima launched a Senate investigation into the extrajudicial killings under President Duterte’s rule.
She has remained in detention since her arrest on 24 February 2017 on politically-motivated, trumped-up drug charges. In November 2018, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention found that her imprisonment “lacks a legal basis” and is a form of reprisal due to her human rights work in the Philippines. On 17 February 2021, the Senator was acquitted in one of three cases against her, but her remaining two cases are ongoing.
This judicial harassment against Senator De Lima illustrates just one example of the deteriorating state of democracy and human rights in the country, APHR said. Since President Duterte assumed office in 2016, there have been increasing attacks on human rights defenders, journalists, and opposition lawmakers. APHR’s recently published report, Parliamentarians at Risk 2021, revealed that disinformation campaigns and “red-tagging” of opposition parliamentarians increased alarmingly ahead of the 2022 elections, with baseless accusations made against left-wing lawmakers.
Senator De Lima recently filed her candidacy for another six-year term as senator, ahead of national and local elections that are due to take place in May.
“Senator De Lima is no criminal, and continues to stand up for truth, justice, and accountability. The Senator’s innocence is clear, as evidenced by the widespread and persistent calls for her immediate release, including from the United Nations. It is deeply shameful for President Duterte and his government to deprive Senator De Lima of her liberty and political rights, including her right to freely campaign for her candidacy. As long as the Senator is wrongfully deprived of her freedom, the Philippines cannot be seen as a country that respects the rule of law,” Santiago said.
Jan 31, 2022 | DFF, Statements
JAKARTA – Southeast Asian parliamentarians have urged Malaysian authorities to cease their reported harassment of opposition Members of Parliament (MPs), and allow them to fulfill their duties as representatives of the people after at least four lawmakers were called in for questioning by police in recent days regarding their involvement in anti-corruption rallies.
On 28 January, MPs Maria Chin Abdullah and Fahmi Fadzil, both who are members of ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR), were summoned by police in Kuala Lumpur. The pair were called for questioning regarding their involvement in a protest held outside the country’s parliament building on 20 January, which called for the head of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to be suspended for alleged improper conduct in office. Two other MPs were also called for police questioning, alongside dozens of others, for their involvement in a separate anti-corruption rally on January 22.
“It is concerning that Malaysia is continuing on the path of using state machinery to harass and intimidate opposition voices, including MPs, as part of an attempt to silence them,” said Risa Hontiveros, a Philippines MP and APHR Member. “The government’s reaction to legitimate peaceful protests calling for accountability in public office should not be to harass those demonstrating, but instead investigate their concerns. Demanding accountability and answers for corruption allegations is crucial in a democracy, and authorities must not impede that.”
At the 20 January demonstration, dozens of youth members of the opposition People’s Justice Party (PKR) gathered outside Parliament to submit a petition to Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob, opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, and House Speaker Azhar Harun, which included calls for the immediate suspension of MACC Chief Azam Baki. Baki has faced public scrutiny in recent weeks regarding excessive shares he allegedly owns in a public company. Critics say the shares risk compromising the integrity and credibility of the anti-corruption body.
The eight-point petition also called for a royal commission of inquiry to be conducted into his shareholding, amendments to the MACC Act to improve checks and balances, placing the Election Commission and Human Rights Commission of Malaysia under the control of parliament, and for improved protection of whistleblowers.
“We stand in solidarity with our fellow parliamentarians, and remind the Malaysian government that a police force should be used, not to harass and intimidate government critics, but to protect and respect the people’s right to protest and free speech. Authorities must immediately end these threats, and use the state apparatus to hold those in public office accountable to the people,” Hontiveros said.
With Malaysia recently dropping five places in Transparency International’s Corruption Index rating, there has been widespread public outcry demanding accountability for the MACC chief and for genuine institutional reforms to be implemented. A bigger demonstration, dubbed the #TangkapAzamBaki (Arrest Azam Baki) protest, saw an estimated 500 people gather in Kuala Lumpur on 22 January, with police shutting down roads in the capital and deploying anti-riot trucks. Following the protest, police reportedly “identified” more than 70 people involved in the rally, including MPs Teresa Kok and Maszlee Malik, both former cabinet ministers, who were later called for questioning.
In its annual report, Parliamentarians at Risk, published in late 2021, APHR found that legal harassment of opposition MPs in Malaysia had risen alarmingly alongside a wider crackdown on freedom of expression.
Dec 2, 2021 | DFF, Statements
Lawmakers across Southeast Asia have come under drastically increased threats and harassment in the past year, in-part due to the military coup in Myanmar, but also troubling developments elsewhere in the region, a new report by ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) has found.
The number of Members of Parliament (MPs) detained in Southeast Asia has dramatically risen this year, from just one in 2020, to 91 in 2021, APHR found in its new report Parliamentarians at Risk: Reprisals against opposition MPs in Southeast Asia in 2021. This sudden spike was largely due to developments in Myanmar, where the military seized power in a coup in February, however there have also been alarming developments elsewhere in the region, including Thailand, the Philippines, and Malaysia, APHR said. Although not featured in detail in the report, former opposition lawmakers have also been targeted in Cambodia.
“This year has been yet another dark year for human rights in Southeast Asia, and as our region slides deeper into the grasp of authoritarianism, elected lawmakers have been among those heavily targeted, particularly those standing up for basic decency, human rights, and democracy,” said Teddy Baguilat Jr, an APHR Board Member and former Philippines Member of Parliament (MP). “Developments in Myanmar have been particularly troubling, where the political opposition has come under assault by the junta, but there are also concerns elsewhere, with governments utilizing COVID-19 to undermine opposition MPs, and erode the important oversight role they play in a democracy.”
“On top of MPs being locked up merely for fulfilling their mandates as representatives of the people, we have also witnessed threats to lawmakers for doing their jobs, as well as orchestrated campaigns of judicial harassment and disinformation, aimed at both discrediting and silencing them,” Baguilat said.
Amid the ongoing human rights catastrophe in Myanmar, the political opposition, in particular members of the National League for Democracy (NLD), which won the 2020 election in a landslide, has been among the most prominent targets. The junta has suspended all national and sub-national parliaments, and stripped democratically elected MPs of their seats without legal or constitutional justification. At least 90 parliamentarians remain in detention or house arrest, while many others have gone into hiding to avoid the same fate.
“Not content with stealing the result of the 2020 election away from the people, the military junta in Myanmar has sought to justify its power grab by shutting down parliament, declaring groups formed by democratically-elected MPs as ‘illegal’, and jailing almost 100 of those MPs on the most spurious of charges,” said Charles Santiago, APHR Chair and a Malaysian MP. “Over the past year, the Myanmar people have said loud and clear who their representatives are – those they elected in the 2020 election – and all international actors, including ASEAN, must condemn the Myanmar military in the strongest possible terms, call for the release of all those arbitrarily detained since the coup, including MPs, and for the country to be put back on the democratic path.”
While the situation in Myanmar has dominated headlines, lawmakers were also at risk elsewhere in Southeast Asia, notably Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand, APHR said.
In Malaysia, in January the government of then-Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin used the COVID-19 pandemic as an excuse to impose a state of emergency, while parliament was suspended for more than seven months. Opposition politicians were among those targeted in a growing crackdown on dissent, with at least ten lawmakers interrogated or charged for expressing criticism related to human rights abuses or the suspension of parliament.
In the Philippines, disinformation campaigns, threats and so-called “red-tagging” of opposition lawmakers rose alarmingly ahead of the general elections taking place in 2022, while President Rodrigo Duterte and other senior officials made baseless accusations against left-wing lawmakers, claiming they support an armed communist insurgency. Senator Leila de Lima remains in prison, and has now been arbitrarily detained for close to five years.
Meanwhile, in Thailand, the government and its allies continued to level trumped-up criminal cases against Move Forward Party (MFP) lawmakers, while opposition MPs were also the target of widespread abuse online, often through highly coordinated “information operations” orchestrated by state-affiliated actors.
“An attack on an MP is an attack on democracy. The systematic harassment of MPs – whether online, offline, judicial or otherwise – is clearly aimed at preventing them from doing their jobs, and acting as a check and balance on behalf of the people,” said Baguilat Jr. “The role of MPs is absolutely crucial in a democracy, particularly during the pandemic of the last two years, or as elections approach, as is the case in the Philippines and Cambodia.”
“Amid the assault on democracy we are witnessing across the region, those working to protect it must come together and act as one unified voice. We call on our governments across Southeast Asia to do everything in their power to protect the human rights of all MPs, and urge our fellow parliamentarians to call out the abuses they see at every turn,” Baguilat said.
Click here for a Myanmar translation of this statement
Click here for a Bahasa Indonesian translation of this statement
Click here for a Khmer translation of this statement
Click here for a Lao translation of this statement
Click here for a Malay translation of this statement
Click here for a Thai translation of this statement
Click here for a Vietnamese translation of this statement
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