Syria Not a Human Rights Issue for the Philippines?
As the photo indicates, the Philippines was the only member of the UN Human Rights Council to be absent during a vote on Friday, June 1, in Geneva condemning the grave rights abuses in Syria and requesting the Commission of Inquiry to urgently conduct a “comprehensive, independent, and unfettered special inquiry” into the El-Houleh killings and to attempt to publicly identify those responsible. The resolution passed with 41 countries voting yes, 3 no, 2 abstentions — and 1 absent.
“Apparently the Philippine delegation had better things to do during the crucial Human Rights Council vote on Syria,” said Julie de Rivero, Geneva director at Human Rights Watch. “One has to wonder why the Philippines became a Human Rights Council member in the first place.”
The Commission of Inquiry has been tasked to look into the killings on May 25 in El-Houleh, Syria, in which 108 people, including 49 children and 34 women, were killed by artillery and tank fire from Syrian forces. Navi Pillay, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, has said the attacks “may amount to crimes against humanity and other international crimes.”
Photo by Julie de Rivero / © 2012 Human Rights Watch
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About The Author
Noemi Lardizabal-Dado
Noemi Lardizabal-Dado is a Content Strategist with over 16 years experience in blogging, content management, citizen advocacy and media literacy and over 26 years in web development. Otherwise known as @MomBlogger on social media, she believes in making a difference in the lives of her children by advocating social change for social good. She is a co-founder and a member of the editorial board of Blog Watch . She is a resource speaker on media literacy, social media , blogging, digital citizenship, good governance, transparency, parenting, women’s rights and wellness, and cyber safety. Her personal blogs such as aboutmyrecovery.com (parenting) , pinoyfoodblog.com (recipes), techiegadgets.com (gadgets) and benguetarabica.coffee keep her busy outside of Blog Watch. Disclosure: I am an advocate. I am NOT neutral. I will NOT give social media mileage to members of political clans, epal, a previous candidate for the same position and those I believe are a waste of taxpayers' money. I do not support or belong to any political party. I was part of accredited media covering the Office of the Vice President and Leni Robredo as she ran as a presidential aspirant in the 2022 National and local elections. On August 5, 2021, YouTube announced that I was selected as one of 50 Program participants of its Creator Program for Independent Journalists She was a Senior Consultant for ALL media engagements for the PCOO-led Committee on Media Affairs & Strategic Communications (CMASC) under the ASEAN 2017 National Organizing Council from January 4 -July 5, 2017. Having been an ASEAN advocate since 2011, she has written extensively about the benefits of the ASEAN community and as a region of opportunities on Blog Watch and aboutmyrecovery.com. Organization affiliation includes Consortium on Democracy and Disinformation Updated June 6, 2022