MANILA, Philippines — Human rights group Karapatan, on Sunday, slammed Malacañang for resorting to personal attacks against United Nations experts who have warned against the impact of militarization on indigenous peoples. READ: Palace smears Filipino UN experts for 'embarrassing' Duterte adminBut Roque, on December 29, told the UN experts to be prudent in issuing statements to not embarrass the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte. The group asked the UN to "urge the Philippine government to stop its military operations in civilian communities, including the indigenous people of Mindanao. "Many of the victims were members of local peasant and indigenous organizations targeted for their local campaigns for genuine agrarian reform and against militarization," Karapatan added. The group said there have been 15 cases of torture, 23 victims of frustrated extrajudicial killings, 58 victims of illegal arrest and detention and 335,686 victims of indiscriminate gunfire.

Source: Philippine Star December 31, 2017 06:11 UTC