UN Human Rights Office Appalled By Killing Of 9 Activists In Philippines - Spokesperson

The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) expressed dismay at what it described as the arbitrary killing of nine activists by the Philippine security forces in coordinated raids in four provinces, OHCHR spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani said in a statement on Tuesday

UNITED NATIONS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 09th March, 2021) The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) expressed dismay at what it described as the arbitrary killing of nine activists by the Philippine security forces in coordinated raids in four provinces, OHCHR spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani said in a statement on Tuesday.

"We are appalled by the apparently arbitrary killing of nine activists in simultaneous police-military operations in Batangas, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal provinces surrounding metro Manila in the Philippines in the early hours of Sunday morning," Shamdasani said.

The activists who were killed - eight men and one woman - had worked on issues relating to the rights of fishing communities, the homeless and indigenous people. Six other people were reportedly arrested during the raids.

The Philippine government told OHCHR that the security operation was based on search warrants issued in the context of its campaign against the communist New People's Army, Shamdasani said.

Under similar circumstances, nine Tumnadok indigenous people's rights activists were killed in December in operations to execute search warrants in Panay, the spokesperson said.

"We urge the police to take urgent measures to prevent the use of excessive force resulting in loss of lives during law enforcement operations," Shamdasani said.

The OHCHR is also gravely concerned that the latest killings signalize an escalation in violence and "red-tagging" of human rights defenders for allegedly being members of the armed wing of the Communist party in the Philippines, Shamdasani addded.