Why Rights Groups Worry About The Philippines' New Anti-Terrorism Law
Petitions have piled up at the country's Supreme Court to overturn the new legislation championed by President Rodrigo Duterte, which could jail suspects without charge for weeks.
Petitions have piled up at the Philippines' Supreme Court to overturn a new anti-terrorism law championed by President Rodrigo Duterte, which could jail suspects without charge for weeks.
The government says it needs the legislation to combat insurgencies and that it safeguards freedoms. The Philippine Foreign Affairs Department even sent a letter to U.S. Congress members to allay concerns over the law, saying, "The Philippines remains committed to the protection of civil and political liberties as well as human rights."
But human rights groups warn that the hard-line Duterte administration could use the legislation to
