IADL participates in International Fact Finding Mission on attacks against lawyers in the Philippines

Investigation of International Fact Finding Mission confirms Pattern in Killings of Lawyers and Judges in the Philippines An independent delegation of two judges and six lawyers from Amsterdam, The Netherlands and Antwerp, Belgium has investigated the violence against their Philippines colleagues. Between March 2005 and June 2006, at least nine Philippines lawyers and one judge were killed. Lawyers and judges in the Philippines are also increasingly victims of serious harassment and intimidation. From 15-20 June 2006, the international fact finding mission has been interviewing victims and relatives of victims in Quezon City, Manila and Tacloban City, Leyte, and the President of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and representatives of various human rights and lawyers organizations. The fact finding mission has also expressed its great concerns against the Philippines authorities about the alarming situation in the Philippines, as a consequence of which lawyers and judges can hardly carry out their legal profession. For many lawyers and judges it is too risky to go out on their own and some of them are even forced to avoid their home or office. The violence seems to be mainly directed to lawyers defending human rights or representing clients who are dissenting or protesting against a particular governmental policy, such as purchasing land compulsorily, and judges who condemn perpetrators of human rights abuses. Some authorities have confirmed a practice of labelling such lawyers as enemies of the government. The fact finding mission emphasizes the obligation of every government to protect its lawyers and judges and to publicly condemn every attack on these lawyers and judges. The Belgian lawyer Jo DEREYMAEKER represented the International Association of Democratic Lawyers (IADL) and the Belgian organization Lawyers for the World together with the Dutch Laywers for Lawyers Foundation and Lawyers without Borders Netherlands. She has launched the fact finding mission’s report in July 2006.

Report International Fact Finding Mission 2006.pdf (567.43 Ko)