“The EU released last week its Annual Report on Human Rights and Democracy in the World in 2016,” according to the report, sent to the media by Human Rights Watch. Despite positive developments in some areas, the human rights situation in the second half of the year...considerably worsened as a consequence of the so-called ‘war on drugs’,” the EU report said. The Partnership and Cooperation Agreement signed in 2012—under which an institutionalized human rights dialogue could be established—still requires ratification by two Member States as well as the Philippines. The EU and MS have consistently engaged with the government and other interlocutors on the human rights situation. “Since his election, President Duterte has made statements justifying the killing of ‘corrupt’ journalists and human rights defenders.

Source: The Standard October 23, 2017 16:06 UTC