Chicago, IL - I just returned from eight days in Luzon, the largest island in the Philippines, where the capital, Manila, is located. For many years, the movement for national democracy in the Philippines has asked for international solidarity, including human rights defenders to aid them in their struggle for economic and political rights.
WASHINGTON D.C. – Human Rights First, today condemned this week’s arrest of human rights defender Natividad Maria Castro in the Philippines and called on the government of the Philippines to release her immediately and unconditionally. Castro, also known as “Doctor Naty,” is a former regional Secretary General of the human rights NGO, Karapatan, and still an active part of the group’s network. In May last year, Human Rights First awarded Karapatan the annual William D. Zabel Human Rights Award in recognition of its commitment to human rights in the Philippines.
MANILA The son and namesake of Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos, who was toppled in a 1986 pro-democracy uprising, registered his candidacy Wednesday for next year’s presidential elections, sparking a protest by activists who angrily recalled the widespread human rights atrocities that marked the martial law era under his late father.