Human rights lawyers who issued a report linking the Philippine government to over 800 political killings and calling for a congressional investigation into the use of US war on terror funds, have been banned from re-entering the Philippines.

 A “blacklist” naming individuals barred from entry to the Philippines was discovered by attorney Brian Campbell while being detained by Philippine authorities. Campbell was detained and eventually denied entry to the country because his name appeared on a list of foreign attorneys and human rights workers who have been blacklisted in the Philippines. While awaiting deportation at the Manilla airport, Campbell wrote:

"Though I was only able to take a glance at the list, I recognized the names of other well-known US human rights attorneys, including Atty. Rachel Lederman and Tina Monshipour Foster, who were both recently the guests of [Philippine human rights groups] Gabriela and Karapatan, and published a report in the United States critical of the Arroyo government efforts to bring an end to the killings."

Attorneys Lederman and Foster visited the Philippines earlier this year as part of a delegation of attorneys investigating political killings and persecution of critics of Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Significantly, the report called upon US legislators to re-examine the appropriation of more than $160 million in US military aid to the Philippines as an ally in the war on terror – making it fourth-largest recipient of US military aid world-wide.

“Our Congress needs to investigate how our ‘war on terror’ funds are being used by the Philippine government,” said Foster. “The fact that those of us calling for increased transparency have been banned from the country suggests that the Philippine government has something to hide,” she added.