Left-leaning group Karapatan took swipe at Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque’s statement telling UN special rapporteurs Victoria Tauli-Corpuz and Cecilia Jimenez-Damary not to embarrass the country before the international community. Roque on Friday called on the UN experts, who are both Filipinos, not to use their post to embarrass the government. “So I appeal to these two Filipinos, or be it special rapporteurs, not to use their post for the purpose of embarassing the Duterte administration,” he added. Since the declaration of martial law on May 23, 2017 to November 2017, Karapatan has recorded at least 29 victims of extrajudicial killings in the Mindanao, 15 of which were in the Southern Mindanao region. Karapatan has documented 15 cases of torture, 23 victims of frustrated extrajudicial killings, 58 victims of illegal arrest and detention, and 335,686 victims of indiscriminate gunfire and aerial bombings.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer December 31, 2017 03:56 UTC