UN expert urges Philippines to disband anti-communist agencyIan Fry, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights in the Context of Climate Change, talks during a press conference in Mandaluyong, Metro Manila on November 15, 2023. MANILA, Philippines — A United Nations human rights expert urged the Philippines on Wednesday to abolish an anti-communist task force that has been accused of targeting government critics. Former president Rodrigo Duterte set up the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) in 2018 to quash a decades-old insurgency. The task force, which includes the military, has frequently labelled human rights activists, environmental defenders, lawyers and journalists as communist sympathisers, without providing any evidence. Harassment of "environmental human rights defenders" was prevalent, he said, calling for an independent investigation into the task force's past actions.

Source: Philippine Star November 15, 2023 20:07 UTC