Geneva talks address impunity
The events coincided with the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists
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The events coincided with the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists
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Impunity was the primary issue addressed in key discussions held in Geneva, Switzerland, which Supreme Court Associate Justice Maria Filomena D. Singh recently participated in.
Discussions delved on the misuse of legal systems to intimidate journalists, human rights defenders and other vulnerable groups.
The events coincided with the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists.
Justice Singh engaged in an expert meeting led by UN Special Rapporteur on Judicial Independence, Professor Margaret Satterthwaite, which explored strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs).
These lawsuits are often used to suppress dissent and accountability efforts.
Singh cited the SC’s measures to combat SLAPPs, including the dismissal of frivolous lawsuits under the Rules of Procedure for Environmental Cases.
She also advocated for broadening SLAPP defenses beyond environmental litigation.
A panel discussion co-organized by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and UNESCO provided Singh the opportunity to share how the Philippine judiciary offers remedies, such as the writs of amparo and habeas data, to protect individuals from threats to life and liberty.
She referenced the SC’s landmark recognition of red-tagging as a threat to security, which can justify such writs.
Singh stressd that while the legislature holds the power to decriminalize libel and cyberlibel, the judiciary has issued guidelines favoring fines over imprisonment in libel cases.
The SC justice also named measures protecting judges and court personnel from harassment, including the creation of the Office of the Judiciary Marshals.
