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‘State of the Nation Address’ Should Outline Plan to Tackle Impunity
(Manila, July 20, 2013) – Philippine President Benigno S. Aquino III should use his annual “State of the Nation Address” to outline concrete steps to provide justice for victims of human rights abuses in the country, Human Rights Watch said today in a letter to the president.
Aquino will deliver his State of the Nation Address in Manila on Monday, July 22, 2013. He is expected to highlight his administration’s accomplishments since his inauguration on June 30, 2010. His six-year term ends on June 30, 2016.
Human Rights Watch outlined specific measures that Aquino should address in the State of the Nation speech, including:
“President Aquino should use this State of the Nation speech to put meat on the bones of his human rights commitments by outlining specific measures to tackle ongoing human rights problems,” said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “At the top of his list is holding abusive members of the security forces accountable.”