Philippines: “I turned my fear into courage”: Red-tagging and state violence against young human rights defenders in the Philippines

This report documents how the two successive governments of President Duterte and President Marcos Jr. have weaponized digital tools, misinformation and a flawed anti-terrorism law to create a climate of fear and intimidation amongst young human rights defenders in the Philippines. The central element in this coordinated campaign of state violence is the practice of “red-tagging”, through which leading political figures and state security actors have vilified human rights defenders, student activists, teachers, journalists and others as “Communist rebels” and “terrorists”, inciting hatred and violence. This report is an urgent call to end to state actors’ attacks on young human rights defenders.

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