March, 2018

To the Public Opinion

We reject persecution of indigenous rights defenders by the Government of the Philippines

CHIRAPAQ, Center for Indigenous Cultures of Peru, expresses its support for Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples and Joan Carling, Co-convener of the Indigenous Peoples Major Group for Sustainable Development, who have been arbitrarily qualified as terrorists by the Government of the Philippines.

A La Opinion Publica Mundial

Miembros  del Foro Permanente de las Naciones Unidas para las Cuestiones lndigenas nos solidalizamos con defensoras de los derechos indigenas

Los  abajo  firmantes,   miembros   del  Foro  Permanente   de  las  Naciones Unidas  para  las  Cuestiones   Indigenas,  expresamos   nuestro   rechazo   al ataque  emprendido   por  el  gobierno   de  Filipinas   contra  Victoria  Tauli­ Corpuz  y Joan Carling,  ambas destacadas  lideresas  que han contribuido  a nivel mundial  con la reivindicaci6n de los derechos  de nuestros  pueblos y que  han  sido  hoy  incluidas  en una  lista  tipificadas  como  terroristas  por dicho pais.

Queremos  sefialar que la vision  del movimiento  indigena  ha sido el velar por los principios  democraticos de nuestros  paises,  siendo  el escenario  de las  Naciones   Unidas  desde  donde  apelamos   por  el  reconocimiento  de nuestros  pueblos,  con  la confianza  de que  nuestra  contribucion y aportes tienen que ser recogidos y respetados por los Estados en los que nos encontramos.

Today, March 8, 2018, as the world commemorates International Women’s Day, Karapatan and Tanggol Bayi joins Filipino women in marching and standing up against State repression and all forms of human rights violations and gender-based violence.

Orignal posted

GENEVA (8 March 2018) - UN human rights experts have expressed grave concerns about terrorism accusations levelled against the UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples, Ms. Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, a Philippine national.

The legal petition listing her name is an unacceptable attack against the mandate holder by the Philippines Government, they added.

On March 7, 2018, Eleanor de Guzman, daughter of NDFP peace consultant Rafael Baylosis and wife of Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) organizer Marklen Maoj Maga initiated a dialogue with Commission on Human Rights (CHR) Chairperson Jose Luis Martin Gascon. De Guzman raised the issue of the respective arrests of Baylosis and Maga, who are both detained on trumped up charges, on January 31 and February 22 respectively. She was accompanied by Karapatan Deputy Secretary General Roneo Clamor.

Kaming mga kababaihang bilanggong pulitikal sa Camp Bagong Diwa sa Taguig City Jail ay nakikiisa sa paggunita sa pandaigdigang araw ng kababaihan.

“The killing of Ricardo Mayumi is part of the military’s systematic efforts to attack and malign activists and human rights defenders (HRDs)involved in campaigns for people’s rights and welfare. The government’s paranoia is further heightened as it fails to deliver basic social services, is involved in massive corruption cases, or are implementing anti-people policies. Instead of resolving these issues, they go the opposite way and respond with repression and rights violations,” said Karapatan secretary general Cristina Palabay.

“Despite the distortions and deflections of the AFP, the fact remains: there are torture victims who have told their story of inhuman and degrading treatment at the hands of the military. The trauma that they have experienced -- the marks on their necks due to strangulation and burn marks -- are still visible on their bodies. The military is both callous and idiotic for even implying that the victims have burned themselves for the sake of propaganda. They have clearly identified the perpetrators in their testimonies,” said Karapatan deputy secretary general Roneo Clamor on the military’s recent statement accusing Karapatan of fabricating allegations of torture.