Philippines: Court acquits 10 human rights & environmental defenders from leading NGOs
"Court acquits 10 human rights defenders of perjury", 9 January 2023
Ten human rights activists walked out the Quezon City Hall of Justice victorious on Monday, after they were acquitted of perjury. Leaders from Karapatan, Gabriela, and Rural Missionaries of the Philippines (RMP) were cleared after government prosecutors failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt the charges filed against them. Former National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon filed the perjury case in 2019 when the human rights defenders sought the Supreme Court’s help for protection amid red-tagging and terror designation...
In December 2022, the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre joined other organisations in calling for the acquittal of the prominent HRDs.