UN expert on of extrajudicial executions visits Philippines

An independent United Nations human rights expert is on a 10-day visit to the Philippines to investigate the issue of extrajudicial executions.

Philip Alston will be visiting the Philippines at the invitation of the Government but his mission is designed to enable him to meet with as broad a range of people and groups as possible.

As the UN Human Rights Council's independent expert for extrajudicial executions, Mr. Alston’s role includes investigating individual cases and systemic causes of such killings in all UN Member States.

The visit will include meetings with representatives of all three branches of government, including members of the Cabinet, the parliamentary human rights commissions, the military, the police, the Supreme Court, and the Public Prosecutor's office.

Mr. Alston will also hold meetings with victims’ groups, human rights non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other civil society groups. Most of the visit will take place in the Greater Manila metropolitan area, but he will also travel to Baguio, north of Manila, and to Davao City on the Southern island of Mindanao.

Mr. Alston, an Australian national who is Professor of International Law at New York University, is an independent expert and he alone is responsible for determining with whom he will meet while in the Philippines.

He will submit a report to the Human Rights Council analyzing the Philippines’ compliance with international law in the area of the right to life and making recommendations to more effectively prevent violations.