What is ICHRP?
The International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP) is a global network dedicated to campaigning for just and lasting peace in the Philippines.
We coordinate with partner organizations on the ground in the Philippines to draw attention to the most pressing issues, and generate moral, political, and material support for the most oppressed and exploited people in the country.
With 65 member organizations across 15 countries—ranging from grassroots solidarity groups to churches, trade unions, and environmental organizations—ICHRP is more active than ever and is always growing.
Here are some of the highlights of our solidarity work this past year:
Campaign on US-backed counter-insurgency
In response to calls from the mass movement in the Philippines, ICHRP prioritized the issue of US-backed counterinsurgency and its effects on the Filipino people this year.
We recognize the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) as a co-belligerent force with the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP), qualifying the civil war in the Philippines as an armed conflict subject to international law. The GRP’s frequent violations of international rules of war disguised as counterinsurgency continues to block efforts to build a just peace in the country.
In 2024 we exposed the so-called “counter-insurgency campaign” of the Philippine government through statements, urgent alerts, webinars, videos, and submissions to governments and intergovernmental bodies. We also fundraised for peasant communities who are facing the brunt of state violence.
International People’s Tribunal
In May of 2024, ICHRP was an official sponsor of the International People’s Tribunal (IPT) in Brussels. The tribunal was organized by the grassroots solidarity movement, and brought together a panel of legal experts to produce a verdict based on evidence and testimonies.
The 2024 IPT focused on the war crimes of the Duterte and Marcos Jr regimes, and identified the Biden administration as culpable. After hearing over a dozen harrowing testimonies, the jury unanimously agreed that the Philippine government was guilty of gross violations of International Humanitarian Law with the backing of the US government.
The verdict of the IPT was an important moment in exposing the world to the realities of “counter-insurgency” in the Philippines, which amounts to sweeping repression and violence against any and all dissent.
Brandon Lee Speaking Tour
In the United States, ICHRP members and allies organized the Brandon Lee speaking tour, which allowed human rights advocate Brandon Lee to travel around the country and share his story to hundreds of people.
In August 2019, Lee survived an assassination attempt in the Philippines that was likely committed by the Armed Forces of the Philippines. He was shot and hit in four places rendering him a quadriplegic, paralyzed from the chest down with only partial sensation in his arms and hands. Lee now lives in the US with his family and continues his advocacy for human rights in the Philippines.
Senate Protest by Janet Rice
In the Asia-Pacific region, Australian politician Janet Rice made headlines by staging a protest against Marcos Jr during his address to the Australian parliament, leading to her temporary censure. Rice drew public attention to the blatant sidelining of the human rights violations of the Philippine government as Marcos Jr attempted to strengthen economic and military ties with the Australian government.
Former senator Rice was one of the High-Level Commissioners of Investigate PH, a human rights investigation and is an active voice for human rights in the Philippines.
Opposition to Indo-Pacific Strategy
In Canada, grassroots organizations and faith allies campaigned against the US designed Indo-Pacific Strategy of the Canadian government, which aims to shift military and economic focus to countries like the Philippines while ignoring human rights.
Major Canadian churches submitted an open letter to the Trudeau government about the war crimes of the Marcos Jr regime. Members of ICHRP Canada also raised these concerns directly to the government at a parliamentary hearing on the strategy, alongside human rights defenders who called in from the Philippines.
Conference on Peace Talks
In Europe, ICHRP member organization Catalan Association for Peace held a conference on the path towards peace which featured members of the NDFP negotiating panel and representatives from various other liberation movements around the world, including Columbia, Ireland, Guatemala, and South Africa.
A new ICHRP member organization, CHRP-Germany, was founded and launched this year.
Get involved!
ICHRP’s mission is to advocate for just and lasting peace in the Philippines. Our solidarity is most powerful when we’re unified and organized in action. You can help us build this unity by joining a local ICHRP member organization, or forming your own. Reach out to ICHRP at ichrp.net/contact if you aren’t sure how to get involved!