Approach

Ms. Tauli-Corpuz, whose entire career has been dedicated to speaking out for the rights of disenfranchised communities in the Philippines and around the world, refused to be intimidated. Her initial pushback against the charges were captured in an opinion piece that Burness pitched successfully to the Financial Times. We then worked with a devoted group of advocates around the world who were pushing for justice—not just for Ms. Tauli-Corpuz, but for the several hundred other community leaders, advocates and lawyers who were added to the terrorist list without legal recourse.

Burness took advantage of her travel on fact-finding missions—she continued to meet with Indigenous communities throughout the world and also produced a report on the criminalization of indigenous advocates like her—to secure interviews with top-tier journalists to discuss the improprieties of this terrorist list.

Results

The coverage that resulted from this effort helped create the space for the broader coalition to push back on the trend in criminalization around the world. Towards the end of 2018, the Philippines government relented and removed her from the terrorist list. But other indigenous advocates remain on the Philippines list, and many more elsewhere continue to be threatened or even killed for their advocacy.

For more information:

• A silent war is being waged on Philippine indigenous communities

• Attacks on indigenous rights defenders should not be ignored

• The U.N.’s watchdog on indigenous rights has her eye on climate change initiatives

• Q&A: Why conservation must include indigenous rights

• Indigenous rights 'invisible' as Ecuador pushes mining, oil projects: U.N.

• Relatora de ONU pide mejor trato para indígenas en Guatemala