Dangerous job: NUPL says 145 abogados attacked since 2011

There have been a total of 145 lawyers including judges who got attacked in connection with their work since 2011, the National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL) said.

“A total of 145 judges and lawyers have been attacked at least once under circumstances that are prima facie profession or work-related,” read NUPL’s letter to Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo.

The NUPL sent the letter in response to the March 23 call of the Supreme Court (SC) for vetted information concerning the killings of lawyers and threats against judges.

“The NUPL monitored at least 73 prima facie profession or work-related killings of judges and lawyers over the last 10 years, with an average of seven lawyers killed per year,” the group said.

“At least 11 judges, nine prosecutors, six other lawyers in government service, and 47 lawyers in private practice (among whom were five public interest and human rights lawyers) were

Killed,” it added.

The NUPL observed that 2018 “appears to be the bloodiest for the legal profession in recent years, with 16 lawyers and judges killed nationwide.”

“Among those killed in 2018 was NUPL founding member Atty. Benjamin Ramos Jr. who was branded as an ‘NPA’s lawyer’ prior to his murder. Atty. Ramos was shot and killed by motorcycle-riding gunmen in Negros Occidental on 6 November 2018,” it said.

The NUPL also recorded “104 incidents involved other forms of attacks such as frustrated or attempted killing, vilification/labelling, threats, harassment, and intimidation.”

“Eighty-nine (89) or 86% out of the 104 such incidents relate to lawyers engaged in human rights and public interest practice,” it cited.

“Forty-nine (49) out of the 50 vilification8 and ‘red-tagging’ incidents involved public interest/human rights lawyers,” it added.

Based on available data, the NUPL said that since 1984 there have been 129 work-related killings including 54 that took place under the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte.

“Since he began his term, there has been an average of 11 killings per year or almost one peer month,” it said.

The Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG) previously presented figures which showed that there have been 61 lawyers killed under the Duterte administration compared to 49 who were killed from 1972 up to 2016.

Source: Latest Politics News Today (Politics.com.ph)