Karapatan Condemns Marcos Jr. Over Mounting Rights Violations in Three-Year Report

📷: Karapatan | FB

Human rights alliance Karapatan has issued a scathing critique of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s administration, citing “a grim picture of human rights” during his first three years in office, from July 2022 to June 2025.

The group alleged continued violations reminiscent of the Duterte era, despite promises of reform and institutional transparency.

In its newly released report, Karapatan documented a litany of abuses, including extrajudicial killings (EJKs), enforced disappearances, and the arbitrary arrest and detention of activists and dissenters.

The organization condemned the administration’s failure to deliver justice for victims, saying it has perpetuated “policies that suppress the rights of the people.”

“As long as Ferdinand Marcos Jr. follows the same fascist policies perpetrated by Duterte, the same evil pattern of EJKs, enforced disappearances, unjust arrests and detentions will persist,” the statement read.

Karapatan also criticized what it described as “empty gestures” from the Palace, referring to the creation of various task forces and investigative panels.

While presented as efforts to probe rights abuses, the group contended these are primarily part of a public relations campaign designed to distance Marcos Jr. from the violent legacy of his predecessor.

“This regime has been fond of creating task forces to probe EJKs and other human rights violations… but these are just empty gestures in the face of the growing number of violations under his own regime,” Karapatan said.

The group urged international watchdogs, civil society actors, and the broader public to remain vigilant and demand accountability, warning that without decisive policy shifts, the Philippines risks deepening its crisis of impunity. (ZIA LUNA)