Drug war victims’ families ask NBI for help vs online attacks
- The surge of online harassment and disinformation following the Duterte ICC arrest has led human rights lawyer Kristina Conti and relatives of victims of the government-led drug war to seek help from the NBI.
- They are asking for NBI’s help in identifying the names, addresses and even the IP (internet protocol) addresses of the people posting false information not only about the victims, but also on the war on drugs.
- According to human rights lawyer Kristina Conti, the online harassment and trolling that they have been receiving are “systematic,” citing the timestamps, dates and the volume of posts “within a particular time frame.”
Human rights lawyer Kristina Conti and relatives of victims of the government-led drug war asked the National Bureau of Investigation on Friday to look into the surge of online harassment and disinformation following the March 11 arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte and his eventual turnover to the custody of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, the Netherlands.
Facing reporters, Conti said they wanted the NBI to track the people or groups behind the online attacks that have taken a toll on the already burdened “indirect” victims, or those left behind by people killed in Duterte’s brutal antinarcotics policy.
Duterte, who led the Philippines from 2016 to 2022, is awaiting trial in the ICC over allegations of crimes against humanity for overseeing death squads in his crackdown on illegal drugs that left thousands of Filipinos dead.
“We are asking for NBI’s help in identifying the names, addresses and even the IP (internet protocol) addresses of the people posting false information not only about the victims, but also on the war on drugs,” Conti said.
She said that most of the perpetrators of online bullying and disinformation had a common denominator: “Their sentiments are definitely pro-Duterte.”
In Conti’s case, the Red-tagging, vilification and namecalling she faced in the past weeks following Duterte’s arrest and detention in the Netherlands “carry more weight” as she is also the fifth nominee of the party list Bayan Muna that is participating in the May 12 elections.
The harassment of her clients, on the other hand, could demoralize or discourage victims willing to participate in the ICC case against Duterte.
“Let’s not belittle or scare them even more,” she said.
According to Conti, who has been providing legal assistance to the families of victims of extrajudicial killings, the online harassment and trolling that they have been receiving are “systematic,” citing the timestamps, dates and the volume of posts “within a particular time frame.”
“There was also no follow-up [in their posts]. If it were genuine engagement, the [comments] would have been continued responses,” she told reporters.
Legal action
Conti observed the sudden spike in bullying and harassment particularly on March 16, March 18, March 30 and March 31.
Among those who sought the NBI’s help is Sheerah Escudero, whose 18-year-old brother’s bloodied body was found in 2017 with hands bound and head wrapped in packaging tape. Like others who have spoken out, she has faced intense harassment online since Duterte’s arrest.
“The families have been subjected to online bashing and intimidation. They’ve been called liars, paid hacks and fake victims,” said Katherine Panguban of the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers, who is representing Escudero and other victims.
Escudero previously told Reuters that her Facebook account had been flooded with comments and direct messages calling her a drug addict and a liar for seeking justice in her brother’s case, and accusing her of being paid to malign Duterte.
“We hope the NBI can assist in unmasking the individuals responsible so appropriate legal action can be taken,” Panguban said.
Dahlia Cuartero, whose son Jesus Jr. was killed in the police’s antidrug operation “Oplan Tokhang” during the Duterte administration, was disappointed that they had to reach out to the NBI in order to find the people behind the attacks on social media.
“We’ve been seeking justice for so long, but it seems that what we’re experiencing is much worse whenever we speak or face the media … It saddens us because we are not used to this. We just want justice,” Cuartero said. —WITH A REPORT FROM REUTERS
