The Philippines Supreme Court said parts of a anti-terrorism law passed last year were unconstitutional, a decision hailed by one of its opponents as a partial victory. The controversial law, signed by Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte in July, 2020, has alarmed lawyers and human rights activists who fear it could be used to suppress free speech and harass government opponents.
The law grants police and military powers to tackle security threats, but legal experts warned that its overly broad articles could open the door to discriminatory enforcement, privacy infringements and suppression of peaceful dissent.
A detailed breakdown of the court's decision was not immediately available.
The decision was not immediately responded to by the government. Panfilo Lacson, a senator and principal author of the legislation, said in a tweet prior to the ruling that he would graciously respect the outcome.
The court struck down a part of the law for being overbroad and violating of the freedom of expression in a statement.
Renato Reyes, secretary-general of the leftist Bayan Nation movement, said: Our main win from the SC ruling on the terror law is that activism is not terrorism. That is a partial victory for petitioners as protests and advocacy are not acts of terror. But he said that the dangerous provisions of the terror law remain and can still be abused by the anti-terror council.