MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte signed a controversial anti-terrorism bill on Friday to combat Islamic militancy in the south, a move critics warned could lead to more widespread human rights abuses.
Muslims living in the southern Philippines have spoken out against legislation to expand the powers of arrest and detention. On Friday, a regional government on the southern island of Mindanao that includes former separatist rebels urged the Duterte government not to carry out the measure.
The new law allows terrorism suspects to be detained without a court order, prolongs the amount of time they can be detained without being charged in court, and eliminates the requirement that police present suspects before a judge to assess if they have been subjected to physical or mental torture.
Rights groups and activists say the new law is designed to give Duterte’s police and military forces more powers to quell dissent against his populist government in the midst of its drug war, which has killed thousands of people.
Duterte spokesman Harry Roque said the new law was necessary to combat terrorism. “Terrorism, as we used to say, strikes anytime, anywhere,” said Roque. “It is a crime against the people and humanity. Therefore, the fight against terrorism requires a comprehensive approach. “
He stressed that terrorist acts in the Philippines for a long time “caused unimaginable pain and horror,” adding that the president and his legal team had carefully reviewed the legislation before it became law.
The law was signed days after police and military forces killed four people believed to be Filipino militants linked to the Islamic State during a raid in Manila.
The militants were suspected of working as financial conduits for the local branch of the Islamic State, according to the military. Authorities said they were working with Mundi Sawadjaan, one of the accused conspirators behind the January 2019 attack on a Catholic cathedral on the southern island of Jolo that killed 23 people.
The attack was carried out by an Indonesian couple in suicide vests. They are believed to have been led by Hatib Hajan Sawadjaan, the leader of the Islamic State in the Philippines and the relative of Mundi Sawadjaan.
On Friday, Edre Olalia of the National Union of Peoples Lawyers said that the group would challenge the “draconian law”.
“Without a doubt, this is the most unpopular and dangerous legislation that could be pushed by a government obsessed with the potion of power,” said Olalia, whose group represents activist and destitute groups.
Human Rights Watch said the new law gave security forces the power to arrest activists, journalists and social media users simply by saying they are suspected of terrorist activities.
“The law threatens to significantly worsen the human rights situation in the Philippines, which has collapsed since the catastrophic drug war began four years ago,” said Phil Robertson, the group’s deputy director for Asia.
He said the law gave the green light to “systematic attacks” on Duterte’s critics, as well as Filipinos who speak out against the government.
Human Rights Watch expressed particular concern about provisions allowing arrests without a warrant and allowing people to be held in solitary detention for weeks, elements that Robertson said could facilitate torture.
Earlier this week, Michelle Bachelet, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, released a report blaming thousands of “systematic” murders that were committed with “almost complete impunity” to Mr. Duterte.
“The campaign against illegal drugs is being carried out without taking into account the rule of law, due process and the human rights of people who may be using or selling drugs,” he said.
Ms. Bachelet cited “the state’s unwillingness to hold perpetrators accountable for extrajudicial executions,” and urged Duterte not to sign the anti-terrorism bill, which she said blurred the distinctions between what is a criticism of the government and what is terrorism.
