Speaking during the Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression, Sherwin Dane Zauro Haro delivered the statement on behalf of the three organizations. He welcomed the Rapporteur’s report following her recent visit to the country and affirmed her finding that the government has failed to adequately protect free expression – a conclusion that aligns with the lived reality of many civil society actors in the Philippines. The Interactive Dialogue was a part of the 59th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, held in Geneva.
The statement focused on the dangerous and growing practice of red-tagging: a tactic whereby government officials and military actors publicly accuse activists, journalists, or civil society members of being associated with communist or terrorist groups. Haro explained that this practice has been used to target Indigenous activists and human rights defenders, some as young as 18, with devastating consequences. In many cases, red-tagging has led directly to arbitrary arrests, detention under the Anti-Terrorism Act, and even extrajudicial killings.
Indigenous Peoples, in particular, have been severely affected. Leaders protesting the destruction of their ancestral lands have been branded as threats to national security. Some have been imprisoned, while community-run radio stations have been shut down – silencing Indigenous voices and eroding cultural expression.
The statement also addressed the climate of fear faced by artists and performers. Haro highlighted the murder of comedian Gold Dagal, who was killed during a live performance earlier this year. Dagal had received repeated death threats for his jokes about Christianity – a chilling example of how artistic expression is increasingly under attack. Meanwhile, LGBTQ+ drag perfomer Pura Luka Vega has faced judicial proceedings.
Haro, the editor-in-chief of Humanists Alliance Philippines, International’s website, connected this repression to the country’s de facto “blasphemy” laws, which criminalize speech deemed “offensive” to religious sentiments. These laws have been used to prosecute artists and critics of religion, enabling both legal harassment and vigilante violence. Humanists International have long spoken out against “blasphemy” laws, highlighting the fact that they are illegal under international law.
In closing, the organizations urged the Government of the Philippines to repeal all laws that restrict freedom of expression, end red-tagging practices, and dismantle the systems of violence and repression that continue to silence artists, activists, and Indigenous communities.
Featured Photo by Alexis Ricardo Alaurin from Pexels.
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