Tell the Philippine Bureau of Immigration (BI) & the Philippine Ambassador to the United States: Remove human rights defender Julie Jamora from the BI blacklist!

The petition to Commissioner Joel Anthony M. Viad of the Philippine Bureau of Immigration and Philippine Ambassador Jose Manuel Romualdez, and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. reads:

“Stop suppressing and censoring human rights advocates, including ending the Republic of the Philippines’ status quo policy of blacklisting foreign-based human rights defenders. Remove long-time Philippine human rights advocate Julie Jamora from the BI blacklist.”

On October 6, US-based activist Copeland Downs was denied entry into the Philippines on the false claim that he was placed on the blacklist in October 2022 for participating in a political rally as a foreigner. While that policy in and of itself is a damning measurement of democracy under the Philippine government, Downs did not  in fact participate in any rally or march but rather participated in an international observers mission to investigate the conduct of the 2022 Presidential Elections. Which then begs the question, why target Downs for his activism to ensure clean and peaceful elections if Marcos Jr. is in fact the kinder and better alternative to the Dutertes and if he in fact won fair and square?