De Lima on human rights: ‘We cannot be silent’

Sen. Leila De Lima (File photo by LYN RILLON / Philippine Daily Inquirer)

On Saturday, the eve of International Human Rights Day, Sen. Leila de Lima said Filipinos should realize that their government had been “ineffective, inadequate or simply passive” on “mass atrocities.”

The senator, who is currently detained in Camp Crame on illega drug trading charges, stressed that political leaders had “demonized” their own people and “instigated” attacks against them.

“We cannot remain silent and depend passively on governments,” De Lima said in a statement. “We the people ourselves have to act – act with urgency and in solidarity with each other.”

“The need for all of us to stand up for the basic values of human dignity and equality of everyone everywhere has now become extremely urgent,” she added.

De Lima said she would want citizens to take action against the Duterte administration for allegedly inciting police officers and vigilantes to kill “more then ten thousands” of suspected drug offenders in a spate of extrajudicial killings (EJK).

She said citizens could take concerted actions like those adopted by coalitions like Tindig Pilipinas, Movement Against Tyranny (MAT), and Laban ng Masa, and by groups like i-Defend, Free Legal Assistance Group (Flag), Center for International Law (CenterLaw), Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), and the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP).

“In the face of these mass atrocities, governments and inter-government bodies appear to be either ineffective, inadequate or simply passive,” De Lima said.

She also called on the United Nations General Assembly to pass a resolution condemning EJKs, the UN Human Rights Council to probe the alleged killings, and the International Criminal Court to commence preliminary examination of the cases.

The senator also urged the government to invite UN Special Rapporteur Agnes Callamard to step in.

“The celebration this year of the International Human Rights Day comes at a time when the world faces an extraordinarily long list of crises with no or little political will to confront them,” De Lima said. “Let’s speak out. Let’s talk. Let’s act together. Let’s all stand up for human rights.”