The Philippines' foreign ministry has told the U.S. Congress that political freedoms and human rights will be respected as concerns linger over an anti-terrorism law that takes effect on Saturday.
FILE PHOTO: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte gestures during his fourth State of the Nation Address at the Philippine Congress in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines July 22, 2019. REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez/File Photo
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte early this month signed a stricter anti-terrorism bill, condemned by critics and rights groups as a weapon to target opponents and stifle free speech. “The Anti-Terrorism Act itself strongly mandates that human rights be absolute and protected at all times,” it added.
The legislation creates a council appointed by the president, which can designate individuals and groups as terrorists and detain them without charge for up to 24 days. It also allows for surveillance and wiretaps, and punishments that include life imprisonment without parole.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
What does the Twitter attack mean for November?Congressional criticism of social media sites might now be at an all-time high, but those same platforms have worked wonders for lawmakers’ profiles
Read more »
U.S. Congress set for battle over next coronavirus aid billThe U.S. Congress returns to Washington on Monday with Democratic and Republican leaders agreeing that they need to pass something to salve the heavy toll of the coronavirus pandemic but $2 trillion apart on what that something should be.
Read more »
John R. Lewis, front-line civil rights leader and eminence of Capitol Hill, dies at 80The Georgia Democrat spent three decades in Congress defending the crucial gains he had helped achieve for people of color.
Read more »
W. Kamau Bell Says Nick Cannon Can Be Pro-Black without Anti-SemitismW. Kamau Bell's got a theory on Nick Cannon's anti-Semitic comments, and a dire prediction about the future of the U.S.
Read more »
Barr lambastes Apple in China speechToday Attorney General William Barr criticized corporate America's relationship with the Chinese Communist Party — while singling out Apple once again as an example of a 'double standard' in how tech companies treat the U.S. government versus Beijing
Read more »
Mandatory Mask Laws Aren’t Enforced as Coronavirus Continues to SpreadIn many communities across the U.S., law-enforcement officers are refusing to enforce orders requiring residents to cover their faces to help stem the spread of the coronavirus.
Read more »