Human rights groups call anew for junking of terrorism laws

Human rights groups on Friday trooped to the Department of Justice (DOJ) to reiterate their call to junk the Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act of 2012 and the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020, noting that it has been six years since its enactment.

In her speech during the rally, Karapatan Secretary General Cristina Palabay told the Supreme Court “we told you so."

“Anim na taon po ang nakakaraan. Ayaw po sana namin sabihin sa Korte Suprema, pero sasabihin ko na rin. We told you so, Supreme Court,” Palabay said.

(Six years have passed. We did not want to say this to the Supreme Court, but I will say it anyway. We told you so, Supreme Court.)

“Sinabi na po namin anim na taon na ang nakakaraan, unconstitutional. Lumalabag sa karapatang pantao at civil liberties, tatamaan ang mga aktibisa, ang mga nagpapahayag, ang mga ordinaryong mamamayan sa ilalim ng terror law,” she added.

(We already said six years ago that it was unconstitutional. It violates human rights and civil liberties, activists, those expressing their views, and ordinary citizens will be affected under the terror law.)

In December 2021, the High Court upheld the majority of the Anti-Terror Law as it declared two parts of the act as unconstitutional.

Palabay alleged that more than 256 individuals were charged with fabricated cases and were arbitrarily detained due to the laws.

“Marami po sa mga naging biktima ng terror law na ito ay mga magsasaka, mga katutubo, mga manggagawa, mga kababaihan, at mga kabataan,” she said.

(Many of those who have become victims of this terror law are farmers, indigenous peoples, workers, women, and the youth.)

Palabay said that the twin laws are being used to suppress individuals who resist.

“Dalawang batas na ginagamit para supilin ang mga lumalaban, ang mga nag eehersisyo ng ating mga karapatan, ang mga rebolusyonaryo para manaig ang mga kurakot, ang mga mamamatay tao, ang mga nagsasanla ng ating bansa sa mga dayuhan,” she said.

(Two laws are being used to suppress those who resist, those who exercise our rights, and revolutionaries, so that the corrupt, the murderers, and those who mortgage our country to foreigners can prevail.) — RSJ, GMA News