(Manila) Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday promulgated an anti-terrorism law suspected by his opponents of being able to be used to silence them
Posted on July 3 2020 at 12 h 19
France Media Agency
This law, approved last month by parliament and criticized by human rights groups, allows President Duterte to appoint a council who could order the arrest of terror suspects without a warrant.
It also opens the way to several weeks of detention without charge, a procedure deemed necessary by the government to combat the communist and Islamist rebellions.
This promulgation “shows the seriousness of our commitment to eradicate terrorism, which has long overwhelmed our country and causes unimaginable pain to a large part of our population”, commented the spokesperson of Mr. Duterte, Harry Castling.
But his opponents claim that the definition of terrorism in the law is vague and could strengthen Duterte's campaign against them. Some of them are already in prison or on trial after criticizing his policies, including his war on drugs which has already killed thousands of people.
“Under Duterte’s presidency, even the most moderate critics of the government can be called terrorists,” said Amnesty International Director for Asia Nicholas Bequelin. “The government has indeed developed a new weapon to stamp and chase anyone perceived as an enemy of the state.”
“In the current climate of impunity, such a vague law in its definition of” terrorism “can only aggravate attacks against human rights defenders,” he added.
The law defines terrorism as the intention to injure or kill, harm government or private property or use weapons of mass destruction to “spread a message of fear” or intimidate the government.
Suspects could be detained for up to 24 days without charge, which opponents say would violate the three-day limit set by the Constitution.
With this law, “President Duterte has plunged Philippine democracy into an abyss,” according to Phil Robertson, deputy director for Asia for the NGO Human Rights Watch. “The law threatens to significantly worsen the human rights situation in the Philippines, which has deteriorated since the start of the war on drugs four years ago.”
According to a report published last month by the United Nations, at least 8663 people were killed in this “war”, with “virtual impunity” for the perpetrators crimes.
