Philippines' Move to List UN Rapporteur as 'Terrorist'

The Philippine government has requested a court in the country to place the UN special rapporteur on the list of 'terrorists.' According to a report by Reuters, in a complaint submitted by the government of Rodrigo Duterte to the court, the UN special rapporteur is also included in the 'terrorist' list. This list, which Reuters claims to have seen a copy of, includes the names of over 600 individuals, including a former legislator, four former priests, and Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, the UN special rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples. Last month, the Department of Justice asked a court in Manila to classify the Communist Party of the Philippines and its military wing, the 'New People's Army,' as terrorist organizations. However, last month, there was no mention of individuals on this list. Since taking office in July 2016, Rodrigo Duterte has released several communist leaders and brought some leftists into his cabinet in an attempt to end five decades of conflict in the country. However, in November 2017, Duterte announced that due to repeated attacks by the 'New People's Army' during negotiations, he would abandon the policy of leniency towards communists. In the complaint submitted to the court, the Duterte government accused communist rebels of using terror to instill fear and overthrow the government. By adding individuals and groups to this blacklist, the government can monitor them and freeze their financial resources. Carlos Conde, a Filipino researcher at Human Rights Watch, stated that this government list is essentially a 'list of future victims.' Conde issued a statement saying that security forces and government-backed militias have a long history of assassinating individuals labeled as members of the 'New People's Army.' Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, the UN special rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples, has been named in this list as a senior member of the Maoist group 'New People's Army.' Tauli-Corpuz has called this accusation 'baseless' and condemned the government's action.