TURNING Goals
Without solutions or safeguards, soldiers may consider themselves the victims of” lawfare” implemented by governments, who have the power to use legislation to intimidate critics. & nbsp,
For instance, in the Philippines, activists can be” red-tagged” by security forces, the federal police, or state officials in an effort to quell their opposition to projects. This is essentially the same as accusing activists of communist rebellion.
According to Mr. Bonifacio, it is important to hold government agencies, businesses, and social media tycoons accountable for their involvement in inciting or facilitating assault against people.
He cited the continued troubling incident of two young adult activists who were kidnapped by unidentified men on September 2 while visiting a neighborhood in Manila Bay for land reclamation. If the two were in prison, authorities had not yet provided confirmation.
” People are working on the front lines and doing amazing things.” And their job undoubtedly inspires you. However, he claimed that they are also the ones who are being killed, attacked, harassed, and arrested.
” To defend our climate defenders and actively acknowledge the problems at hand, it starts with trying to break that tradition of violence, holding people guilty, and really taking these concrete actions, policy or whatever.”
At the council level in the House of Representatives in February, a bill from the Philippines that aims to defend human rights defenders and condemn harassment or violence against them was approved. & nbsp,
The possible bill has not yet been passed into law, according to a government committee, which described it as” grave, cruel, and insidious threat against the Philippines’ democratic way of life.”
Experts and activists in Indonesia, where 17 defenders have reportedly been killed since 2012, criticized next year’s Criminal Code amendments for having the potential to erode environmental protections while allowing for the oppression of property protectors.
According to the rules, businesses must be shown to be breaking specific regulations before they can be charged with economic crimes, which places a heavier burden of proof on those who take action against polluters.
The code also lessens penalties for economic crimes and makes it a crime to criticize the chairman, making public works projects probably illegal. It is not expected to be completely enacted until 2025 and can be legitimately challenged.
Five well-known climate activists in Vietnam have spent the last two years in prison for tax evasion, claims that their supporters have claimed are politically motivated. & nbsp,
There are grave worries that civil society is being effectively excluded from discussions about the energy transition given the criminalization of climate defenders and rights activists in Vietnam, according to the report.
Another potential solutions are being considered in different parts of the world, such as the nomination of a second United Nations Special Rapporteur on Environmental Defenders, to whom the general public may file complaints. It is the first global device created to safeguard defenders from harm’s way.
Furthermore, the European Union is now negotiating legislation that would mandate global enterprise application on the part of large corporations.