Red-tagging is a threat to people’s life, liberty, and security! Stop the attacks on family members of drug war victims! Stop Red-Tagging ICC lawyer Krissy Conti!

Duterte’s troll army has returned in full force since he was arrested by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on March 11. Thousands of his supporters, both organic and paid, have resurfaced to attack the families of victims of the drug war to defend the fascist tyrant. One example is of Sheerah Escudero, whose brother was murdered by the Duterte regime in 2017. Days after Duterte’s arrest, she received death threats by numerous Diehard Duterte Supporters (DDS) on her Facebook page for simply fighting for justice for her slain brother.

The DDS trolls have also targeted an ICC Assistant to Counsel, Atty. Kristina Conti. Conti represents many of the affected family members and played a vital role alongside people’s organizations in pushing forward the ICC investigations into Duterte’s drug war. Atty. Conti is being vilified as a “communist terrorist” doing the bidding of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and the New People’s Army (NPA) with supposed intent to overthrow the government. These baseless accusations are part of the red-tagging handbook from Duterte’s rule and have been used to villainize and terrorize activists and human rights defenders, contributing to the culture of impunity that Duterte cultivated.

In May 2024, the Supreme Court issued a landmark ruling in the Deduro v. Vinoya case, declaring that “red-tagging, vilification, labelling, and guilt by association threaten a person’s right to life, liberty, or security, which may justify the issuance of a writ of amparo”. In December 2024, journalist Atom Araullo and his mother, Carol Araullo, won P2-million in damages against Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI) hosts Lorraine Badoy and Jeffrey Celiz for red-tagging the family. Red-tagging is ruled dangerous and is punishable, and yet the attacks continue.

Malaya Movement USA stands by the family members and friends of the victims of Duterte’s deadly reign, from the drug war victims to the countless activists killed, arrested, tortured, and disappeared under his watch. 

Stop the Attacks! End Disinformation and Political Repression in the Philippines!