Kin fear for safety of ambushed rights worker Brandon Lee

Baguio activists gather at the Malcom Square in Baguio City on Wednesday, August 7, 2019, to condemn the shooting of Brandon Lee, a human rights worker, in Ifugao. PHOTO BY Kimberlie Quitasol

BAGUIO CITY – The family of Brandon Lee has expressed worries over his safety more than a week after unidentified assailants shot him in front of his house in Lagawe, Ifugao.

Lee, an American citizen who volunteered as a paralegal for the Ifugao Peasant Movement, remains in a critical condition at a hospital here.

He is also a human rights advocate and writes for Northern Dispatch, a regional alternative media outfit.

“We are afraid that somebody will come to finish him off here in the hospital,” Lee’s wife Bernice said.

Bernice appealed to the United States Embassy in Manila and other groups to help ensure her husband’s safety.

She also raised concerns over the investigation being carried out by the police.

“They (military) are the suspected mastermind behind the shooting (of Lee) yet they are the ones investigating the incident. That is why we hope that the US embassy or other international bodies will conduct their own investigation or at the very least help ensure an impartial investigation,” Bernice said.

The military has released statements denying its involvement in the shooting of Brandon.