Aktionsbündnis Menschenrechte-Philippinen

17/08/2026

Another Year Passed Without Justice ⚖ -
Statement on the 6th Death Anniversary of Zara Alvarez 🕯🕊

Zara was shot dead on August 17, 2020, in Bacolod City in the Philippines by unknown assailants in an attempt to silence her. To date, the perpetrators have not been held accountable.

Zara is one of 325 human rights defenders whose murders the AMP has recorded since 2016.

Compassionately, Zara fought for human rights and social justice. She demanded accountability for human rights abuses and advocated for improvements to the country’s inadequate rule of law. In doing so, Zara risked her life and became a victim of state persecution, brutal violence, and impunity.

Impunity erodes the fundamental principles of democracy!

We call on the Philippine government to ensure thorough, impartial, and serious investigations!

The cycle of impunity needs to end!

11/08/2026

AMP has been closely observing Jazmin Jerusalem's fight for justice for the past two years.

We consider the accusations as baseless and call for the immediate dismissal of the pending civil forfeiture case against her!

17/07/2026

Wir freuen uns über die Patenschaftsübernahme für die philippinische Menschenrechtsverteidigerin Jazmin „Minet“ Jerusalem durch die deutsche Bundestagsabgeordnete Gökay Akbulut im Rahmen des Bundestagsprogramms „Parlamentarier:innen schützen Parlamentarier:innen“.

Jerusalem ist Geschäftsführerin des Leyte Center for Development, Inc. (LCDe), das seit Jahrzehnten arme, marginalisierte und von Naturkatastrophen betroffene Gemeinden auf den Inseln Leyte und Samar unterstützt.

Zwei Jahre kämpften Jerusalem und LCDe gegen eine konstruierte Anklage wegen angeblicher Terrorismusfinanzierung. Ihre Bankkonten wurden eingefroren. Im Februar 2026 erhielt Jerusalem einen Freispruch. Die Banken weigern sich jedoch, die Konten trotz einem Gerichtsurteil wieder freizugeben. Gleichzeitig wird das zivilrechtliche Einziehungsverfahren fortgesetzt. Nach einer Vorverhandlung am 19. Juni 2026 wurde ein weiterer Termin für den 30. Juli angesetzt.

Abgeordnete Akbulut erklärte: "Mit der Patenschaft möchte ich dazu beitragen, den Fall von Jazmin Jerusalem international sichtbar zu machen. Die Konten müssen unverzüglich freigegeben und das zivilrechtliche Einziehungsverfahren beendet werden. Ihre Sicherheit und die ihrer Kolleg*innen und Angehörigen muss gewährleistet sein."

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We are pleased that Gökay Akbulut, a member of the German Bundestag, has taken on the parliamentary sponsorship of Philippine human rights defender Jazmin “Minet” Jerusalem.

Jerusalem is the Executive Director of the Leyte Center for Development and Empowerment, which supported poor, marginalised and disaster-affected communities on the islands of Leyte and Samar for decades.

For two years, Jerusalem and LCDe fought against a fabricated charge of alleged terrorism financing. Their bank accounts were frozen. In February 2026, Jerusalem was acquitted. However, the banks refuse to unfreeze the accounts despite the court ruling. At the same time, the civil forfeiture proceedings are continuing. Following a preliminary hearing on June 19, 2026, another hearing was scheduled for July 30.

Gökay Akbulut explained: "Through this sponsorship, I want to help bring international attention to Jazmin Jerusalem’s case. Her accounts must be released immediately and the civil forfeiture proceedings must be terminated. Her safety, as well as that of her colleagues and family members, must be guaranteed."

She also calls on the German government and the : "Human rights must not be subordinated to economic, geopolitical or security interests. They must clearly call on the Philippine government to end red-tagging and protect civil society."

Finally Akbulut stresses: "Supporting poor and disaster-affected communities must not be criminalised. Humanitarian aid is not terrorism. Human rights defenders need protection and international solidarity."

Patenschaft für die philippinische Menschenrechtsverteidigerin Jazmin „Minet“ Jerusalem 14. Juli 2026 / Menschenrechte Parlamentarier schützen Parlamentarier Philippinen / Pressemitteilung Im Rahmen des Bundestagsprogramms „Parlamentarier schützen Parlamentarier“ habe ich die Patenschaft ...

01/07/2026

Earlier this week, Table Briefings picked up our 📃📍EU CSO JOINT STATEMENT on the EU-Philippines Free Trade Agreement: "Trade Must Not Be Built on Human Rights Violations".

❗️21 European Civil Society Organisations call on the “EU to refrain from ratifying the agreement, unless there is meaningful, measurable progress on human rights, environmental protection, and climate safeguards.”

Read here our statement: https://amp.ngo/en/joint-statement-by-eu-cso-eu-philippines-free-trade-agreement-trade-must-not-be-built-on-human-rights-violations/

Read here the Table Briefings article: https://table.media/en/europe/news/free-trade-agreement-seventh-negotiating-round-between-the-eu-and-the-philippines

The Philippines is confident it can conclude negotiations on a free trade agreement with the EU during this round of talks. Civil society groups sharply criticize the agreement.

26/06/2026

📃📍JOINT STATEMENT by European Civil Society Organisations

EU-Philippines Free Trade Agreement: Trade Must Not Be Built on Human Rights Violations

❗️"The EU is currently negotiating a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the Philippines, presenting it as part of a forward‑looking economic partnership and a cornerstone of the EU’s green transition strategy. However, proceeding with these negotiations under the current conditions risks exacerbating human rights violations, land conflicts, and environmental destruction in the Philippines."

❗️21 European Civil Society Organisations call on the “EU to refrain from ratifying the agreement, unless there is meaningful, measurable progress on human rights, environmental protection, and climate safeguards.”

Read here the statement: https://amp.ngo/en/joint-statement-by-eu-cso-eu-philippines-free-trade-agreement-trade-must-not-be-built-on-human-rights-violations/

Photo © Erwin Mascariñas/ Global Witness

15/06/2026

Bundespräsident Steinmeier reist in die Philippinen diese Woche.

In einem Brief weisen Linken Abgeordnete Charlotte Neuhäuser, Gökay Akbulut und Katrin Fey Steinmeier auf die Auswirkungen von des deutschen Imports von Rohstoffen, die vor Ort "zu teilweise eklatanten Verletzungen von Menschenrechten und Umweltschutz“ führen.

"Die Energiewende weg von fossilen Brennstoffen, für die viele der Rohstoffe gebraucht werden, dürfe 'nicht auf dem Rücken der Menschen des Globalen Südens umgesetzt werden'."

Die EU verhandelt aktuell ein Freihandelsabkommen mit den Philippinen - trotz der ungelösten Menschenrechtsprobleme und bestehenden Straflosigkeit im Land.

Die TAZ berichtet darüber in einem Artikel:
https://taz.de/Steinmeier-in-Suedostasien/!6186862/

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German Federal President Steinmeier is traveling to the Philippines this week.

In a letter, German Left Party lawmakers Charlotte Neuhäuser, Gökay Akbulut, and Katrin Fey draw Steinmeier’s attention to the impact of Germany’s imports of raw materials, which lead to “in some cases egregious violations of human rights and environmental protection” in the regions where they are sourced.

“The energy transition away from fossil fuels, for which many of these raw materials are needed, must ‘not be implemented at the expense of the people of the Global South.’”

The EU is currently negotiating a free trade agreement with the Philippines—despite the country’s unresolved human rights issues and ongoing impunity.

The German news paper TAZ reports on this in an article (in German):
https://taz.de/Steinmeier-in-Suedostasien/!6186862/

Der Bundespräsident reist nach Indonesien und in die Philippinen. Drei Abgeordnete fordern, er dürfe sich nicht zum Sprecher der Wirtschaft machen.

20/05/2026

On May 15, the Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 74 dismissed ⚖️a terrorism financing case against 27 former and active members of the Community Empowerment Resource Network, Inc. (CERNET) in the , ruling that the "alleged acts did not constitute a crime under the law at the time they were committed."

📍"Paring judge Van Russel Inopiquez ruled the CPP-NPA lacked official domestic designation and statutory publication when prosecutors alleged the accused failed to prevent a 135,000-peso transfer to the group."

Three years of struggle for justice has finally come to an end❗️

📍"Cernet called the dismissal a victory against state harassment, while the accused announced plans to pursue criminal, administrative, and civil cases against the individuals and agencies involved in the prosecution."

➡️Read more on the latest ruling here: https://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/cernet-case-dismissed & for the background on the case here: https://amp.ngo/en/advocacy/individual-cases/cernet-27/

23/04/2026

On April 19, violence in Negros Occidental cost the life of RJ Nichole Ledesma, a community journalist, writer, and editor of Paghimutad‑Negros and regional coordinator of Altermidya in Negros Island.

Ledesma's recent work documented the struggles of communities facing displacement due to large‑scale renewable energy projects. He dedicated himself to his work by serving marginalized communities and reporting on their stories.

Ledesma's murder was linked to an armed encounter of the Philippine Army’s 79th Infantry Battalion and suspected members of the rebel group New People's Army (NPA) in a remote community in Barangay Salamanca, Tobosa, in northern Negros Occidental, in which a total number of 19 people were killed. Ledesma was killed during an ensuing military pursuit operation in Sitio Sinugmawan.

As Bishop Gerry Alminaza writes in a Bulatlat article:

"The tragedy of Negros is that we have normalized a cycle where violence answers violence. Armed struggle emerges from real and long-standing injustices. Military response seeks to restore order. Communities are displaced. Grievances deepen. Another generation takes up arms. And the cycle continues."

Like Ledesma, many courageous human rights defenders and journalists have documented human rights violations in the region in the past and put their lives at stake.

It is tempting to reduce this to a “security success” or a “counterinsurgency incident.” But such language hides more than it reveals. Armed conflict in Negros did not begin with guns. It began long before, in conditions that have shaped the lives of generations.

23/04/2026

"Duterte will go to trial" 🥳⚖️

AMP lauds today's decision of the International Criminal Court - ICC Pre-Trial-Chamber I confirming all charges comprised of three counts of crimes against humanity against Rodrigo Roa Duterte and committing him to trial before a Trial Chamber!

"A major victory that gives hope for justice to thousands of victims and their families affected by the so-called war on drugs of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte!”

https://www.icc-cpi.int/court-record/icc-01/21-01/25-417-red

22/04/2026

The AMP bids a sorrowful farewell to Jutta Werdes (October 28, 1952 – March 20, 2026).

As a long-time Programme Manager Philippines and later as Head of the Unit Southeast Asia-Pacific at Brot für die Welt, she shaped the work for human rights and global justice with extraordinary engagement and great passion.

Her tireless dedication and worldview have left a lasting legacy and significantly influenced the development of our work.

Our sincere condolences go out to her family, her friends and colleagues, as well as to all those who worked alongside her to build a more just world.

Aktionsbündnis Menschenrechte-Philippinen (AMP)



Photo © Brot für die Welt