THE National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL) called on the government to repeal Republic Act 11479, or the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020, noting it has been used as an instrument of state repression.
“When the law faced 37 constitutional petitions before the Supreme Court, including our own, we warned that this legislation was designed to target activists, human rights defenders, journalists, humanitarian workers, and marginalized communities. Six years of draconian enforcement have vindicated our warnings, case by fabricated case, freeze order by arbitrary freeze order,” the group said.
NUPL cited “massive record of prosecutorial failure” in the use of the law, particularly evident in the conviction of community journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio and lay worker Marielle Domequil.
“The State’s own judicial record exposes the lie. Prosecutions for terrorism and terrorism financing under the ATA and its companion statute, the Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act, routinely collapse under judicial scrutiny. They are dismissed on constitutional grounds, thrown out for sheer lack of evidence, or end in acquittals because there was never a legitimate case to begin with — only political persecution masquerading as national security,” the NUPL said.
The NUPL warned that repressive legislations continue, citing the proposed Terror Grooming Prevention Act pending before Congress. The bill seeks to criminalize emotional and ideological bonds, weaponizing the supposed protection of youth and the vulnerable as a pretext to persecute activists and dismantle communities, the NUPL said.
“They seek to set up a National Terror Grooming Prevention Program that deputizes teachers, social workers, health workers, and barangay officials to identify ‘early signs of radicalization,’ feeding names and organizational affiliations into a centralized database with no safeguards or process for removal. They compel internet service providers to block content within 24 hours of an executive notice, bypassing judicial review entirely,” it added.
