Death and the Democratic Deficits in Duterte's Drug War

Jose Luis Martin "Chito" Gascon

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2018 OFF in Oslo
Jose Luis Martin “Chito” Gascon was a Filipino community organizer, lawyer, and chair of the Philippines Commission on Human Rights. In his talk at the 2018 Oslo Freedom Forum, Gascon identifies a growing trend in the rise of strongmen and widespread threats to democracy around the world. He calls for all of us to acknowledge this trend and work proactively to reimagine democracy for the 21st century.

About the Speaker

Jose Luis Martin Chito Gascon

Jose Luis

Martin "Chito" Gascon

Filipino community organizer, lawyer, and activist

Jose Luis Martin “Chito” Gascon is a Filipino community organizer, lawyer, and former chair of the Philippines Commission on Human Rights. A longstanding social justice activist in the Filipino community, Gascon began organizing against the Marcos dictatorship as a student leader before the 1986 nonviolent People Power Revolution. When the country transitioned to democracy under President Corazon Aquino, Gascon became the youngest member of both the body which drafted the country’s new constitution and of the reconstituted Congress. Gascon was also a big critic of the Duterte regime and the killings and other human rights violations resulting from the Duterte’s so-called “War on Drugs.” For more than three decades, Gascon has continued his advocacy while in several senior government positions, such as undersecretary at the Department of Education and the Office of the President. He was also a member of the Human Rights Victims Claims Board that administered a program of recognition and reparations to victims of the Martial Law regime.

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