Bayan Muna party-list launched yesterday a white ribbon campaign in remembrance of the thousands of Filipinos allegedly killed at the behest of the previous administration to further its so-called war on drugs.
Bayan Muna chairperson Neri Colmenares urged the public to display white ribbons on their houses, vehicles, and even in their profile pictures in their social media accounts to show support to beleaguered families of extrajudicial killing victims.
His call came even as kin of EJK victims decry constant harassment by pro-Duterte supporters and online trolls, in an apparent effort to dissuade them from seeking justice.
“This is just a small gesture for us, but it’s a big deal for them. They should feel that they are not alone,” Colmenares said in Filipino
He noted that the white ribbons symbolize people’s condemnation for former President Rodrigo Duterte’s supposed war on drugs, which officially killed over 6,000 individuals, but rights groups argue that the actual figure is closer to 30,000.
“This is not just for EJK victims during the Duterte administration. This is a call for justice for all victims of human rights violations,” Colmenares emphasized.
On Friday, several relatives of EJK victims formally requested the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to look into a wave of coordinated online attacks against them.
Maria Kristina Conti of the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL), who also attended yesterday’s white ribbon launch, earlier said that the relatives of drug war victims are being harassed, mostly through social media.
The online attacks come in the form of doctored images, fabricated narratives, misogynist hate speech, and outright disinformation.
She explained that the online offensive on victims’ families appears to be all designed to discredit the victims’ families and even their lawyers.