HRW urges PH gov’t to drop PNP-CIDG’s raps vs. Robredo, 35 others

The Vice President, several opposition figures, and members of the clergy, among others, were slapped with sedition, inciting to sedition, cyber-libel, libel, estafa, harboring a criminal, and obstruction of justice charges over the viral “Ang Totoong Narcolist” videos which claimed that the Duterte family and their allies were involved in the illegal drug trade. (File photo: VP Leni Robredo/Facebook)

Human Rights Watch (HRW) urged the Philippine government to drop the cases filed by the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) against Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo and 35 other individuals.

According to HRW Asia Director Brad Adams on Wednesday, July 24, the complaint filed by the police is a “transparent attempt to harass and silence” critics of President Rodrigo Duterte’s illegal drug campaign.

“Threatening criminal charges against the vice president, outspoken bishops, and rights lawyers suggests that Duterte’s egregious human rights record is catching up with him,” he said.

Adams also said the complaint was a “kneejerk reaction” to the resolution adopted by the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) which seeks a comprehensive report on the human rights situation in the Philippines.

“Friends of the Philippines should not stay silent when the administration retaliates against those promoting respect for human rights in the country,” he said.

The Vice President, several opposition figures, and members of the clergy, among others, were slapped with sedition, inciting to sedition, cyber-libel, libel, estafa, harboring a criminal, and obstruction of justice charges over the viral “Ang Totoong Narcolist” videos which claimed that the Duterte family and their allies were involved in the illegal drug trade.

They are accused of engaging with Peter Joemel Advicula, the man who claimed to be the hooded figure in the videos, “to spread lies against the President, his family and close associate, making them to appear as illegal trade protectors and how they earned staggering amounts of money.”

However, Robredo had denied this and said she found the PNP-CIDG’s complaint ‘ridiculous.’

“Nakakatawa talaga kasi unang-una, hindi naman tayo sobrang bob* na nag-iimagine tayo na mapapataob natin ang napaka… ang Presidente na napakataas ang rating, na gagamitin itong isang tao na obviously sinungaling (It was really funny because first of all, we are not that stup*d to imagine that we can bring down a President who has a very high rating; to use this person who is obviously a liar),” Robredo said on her weekly radio show Biserbisyong Leni on Sunday, July 21.

[READ: ‘Nakakatawa talaga:’ Robredo hits PNP-CIDG’s sedition, other charges]

Prior to Robredo, Senators Risa Hontiveros and Leila De Lima, former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, as well as human rights lawyer Chel Diokno had slammed the charges filed against them.