FLAG condemns ambush of Cebu lawyer, calls for attackers' arrest

The Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG) has condemned the ambush and attempted murder of one of its members in Mandaue City in Cebu and called for speedy investigation.

Lawyer Karen Quiñanola-Gonzales, a member of FLAG Cebu, and her 19-year-old son, Jeremy Keith, were driving home when they got ambushed.

The lawyer sustained bullet wounds in her neck, and her son was shot in the back. Both were immediately rushed to the hospital after the attack.

According to a FLAG, this is the first recorded assault against a lawyer since the new administration took over.

"FLAG urges the authorities to speedily investigate and hold accountable those responsible for the ambush," Jose Manuel Diokno, FLAG national chairperson, said.

Diokno stressed human rights defenders play a "vital role in upholding our rights and freedoms."

The group urged Congress to enact legislation protecting human rights defenders and penalizing attacks against them.

"FLAG also asks that the Supreme Court continue its investigation into the killing of lawyers that started during the Duterte administration and should be carried forward into this new administration," it added.—Sherylin Untalan/LDF, GMA News