In defense of truth and people’s lawyering: hands off Atty. Conti
We stand with Atty. Conti as she dares to hold power to account at a time when truth itself is under siege. In standing with her, we take our place alongside those who choose to keep the law rooted where it belongs—in the struggle for justice.
April 15, 2025
NUPL
The National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers is a nationwide voluntary association of human rights lawyers in the Philippines, committed to the defense, protection, and promotion of human rights, especially of the poor and the oppressed.

The National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL) expresses its full support for Atty. Maria Kristina Conti, Secretary General of NUPL-NCR. A people’s lawyer in the truest sense, Atty. Conti has stood with victims of state violence and political repression even in the face of persistent threats and intimidation.

We condemn the escalating campaign of red-tagging and vilification against her, led by known pro-Duterte propagandists, replicated by paid trolls, and amplified by a machinery that thrives on disinformation. The baseless accusation that she is a “political operator” of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) seeking to “attack the Republic” through an imagined ideological conspiracy would be laughable, were it not so dangerous.

This narrative is designed not only to endanger her life, but to discredit her work, isolate her from the communities she serves, and distract from the urgent demand for justice. Red-tagging has long served as a tool to stifle dissent and enable harassment, if not outright physical harm. The Supreme Court, in Deduro v. Vinoya (2024), recognized red-tagging as a threat to life, liberty, and security.

What Atty. Conti faces is a concerted effort to bury the truth under a mountain of lies—so deep that no one remembers where the bodies are buried. This campaign seeks to derail efforts to hold those in power accountable, including proceedings before the International Criminal Court. It is also an attack on the independence of the legal profession, particularly against those who use the law to expose impunity and defend the vulnerable.

But Atty. Conti has never been easily silenced. From standing with families of the slain to building cases against those behind the so-called “drug war,” she has shown what people’s lawyering means: to resist the use of law as a weapon of oppression, and to wield it instead in the service of the people.

We stand with Atty. Conti as she dares to hold power to account at a time when truth itself is under siege. In standing with her, we take our place alongside those who choose to keep the law rooted where it belongs—in the struggle for justice.

#DefendTheDefenders

Reference:

Atty. Josalee S. Deinla
NUPL Secretary General
+639174316396

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