Philippine Authorities Face Criticism Over Terrorism-Financing Charges Against Activists
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Philippine authorities are accused of unjustly targeting civil society groups with terrorism-financing charges to be removed from the FATF grey list, raising concerns for human rights.
Philippine authorities are facing allegations of filing baseless terrorism-financing charges against civil society groups and activists. This move appears to be an attempt to secure their removal from the "grey list" of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), a global watchdog focused on terrorism financing and money laundering.
According to Human Rights Watch, the FATF visited the Philippines in January 2025 to assess whether the country can be lifted from the list requiring increased monitoring.
Critics assert that Philippine authorities are exploiting the situation to harass organisations and individuals who have been active in civil society, increasing concerns over human rights abuses in the process.
