SENATOR LEILA M. De Lima has filed a resolution seeking an investigation into alleged human rights abuses in Mindanao committed under martial law. Senate Resolution No. 768, filed on June 21, cited the reports of human rights organizations Amnesty International and Karapatan documenting the alleged abuses by government forces and the terrorist Maute group. “We are faced with an ironic situation wherein what should have been used as an opportunity to bring peace and order in Mindanao is used as an opportunity to even violate our constitutionally-guaranteed human rights and international humanitarian law,” Ms. De Lima said in a statement Tuesday. President Rodrigo R. Duterte declared martial law in Mindanao on May 23, 2017 after government forces clashed with the Maute group in Marawi City. Congress later granted the President’s request for a martial law extension until December 2018. — Camille A. Aguinaldo

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