# Nine activists killed in Bloody Sunday police raids

Date: 2021

On 7 March 2021, nine activists and unionists were killed in simultaneous police raids in the Calabarzon region south of Manila, an episode that became known as “Bloody Sunday.” Human Rights Watch later reported that 34 police officers were implicated in the violence and that none had been brought to justice at the time of its September 2022 submission to the UN Human Rights Committee. Amnesty International identified labour-rights activist Emmanuel “Manny” Asuncion as one of those killed and in January 2023 called for independent investigations after a murder complaint against more than a dozen police officers was dismissed. Reuters reported that the raids came two days after President [Rodrigo Duterte](/people/rodrigo-duterte) told security forces they could kill rebels if they were holding a gun and to “ignore human rights”; presidential spokesman Harry Roque said the order was legal because it was directed at armed rebels and that the government would still investigate the deaths. No cited source shows that Duterte personally ordered the specific warrants, raids or killings of 7 March.

## People

- Rodrigo Duterte: https://factrail.ai/people/rodrigo-duterte

## Drivers

- State Repression: https://factrail.ai/drivers/state-repression
- Civic Space: https://factrail.ai/drivers/civic-space

## Sources

- https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/asa35/6377/2023/en/
- https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/09/12/philippines-submission-un-human-rights-committee
- https://www.stabroeknews.com/2021/03/08/news/world/philippine-leaders-order-to-kill-rebels-legal-spokesman-says/

## Methodology

https://factrail.ai/methodology

Canonical: https://factrail.ai/facts/ph-duterte-bloody-sunday-raids-2021