Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 16) — Another human rights lawyer was gunned down in Surallah, South Cotabato on Wednesday afternoon, lawyers and human rights groups said.
Juan Macababbad, vice chairperson of the Union of Peoples’ Lawyers in Mindanao (UPLM), was shot dead outside his home. He was the 65th lawyer killed under the Duterte administration.
Human rights group Karapatan said Macababbad served as legal counsel to indigenous peoples, teachers, and political prisoners in Soccskargen. The UPLM said Macababbad received death threats prior to his killing, adding it was clear that the crime was connected to his vocation.
The UPLM called on the government to serve justice for all the jurists killed under the Duterte administration.
“The legal profession is not spared, and our colleagues have become main targets especially those who resist tyranny and defend human rights,” UPLM chairman Antonio Azarcon said on Wednesday.
“If they cannot stop the killings, then they should give way to those who have the moral ascendancy to bring back peace and justice to our country,” he added.
