redtagging

Red-tagging is the practice of publicly labeling individuals or organizations as communists, terrorists, or supporters of banned groups in order to delegitimize them and justify surveillance, harassment, or punitive action. The term is most often used in the Philippines, where activists, journalists, lawyers, church workers, and civil society groups have been accused of links to the New People’s Army or other insurgents. Red-tagging may appear in official statements, media briefings, security documents, or social media campaigns, and can involve lists, rhetoric equating advocacy with rebellion, or insinuations of criminal activity.

Critics describe red-tagging as a form of collective punishment that bypasses due process. It can expose people to threats, intimidation, or violence, and it can chill freedom of speech, association, and legitimate dissent. It also poses risks to the safety of lawyers, witnesses, and community organizers, and can complicate humanitarian and advocacy work by creating a presumption of guilt.

Debates around red-tagging touch on legal and ethical issues, including defamation, presumption of innocence, and the right to peaceful assembly. Human rights organizations, journalists’ associations, and legal scholars commonly condemn the practice as a tactic that undermines civil liberties, while some officials or supporters frame it as a necessary countermeasure in security contexts. The phenomenon has drawn attention to the need for safeguards against misuse, accountability for those who engage in labeling, and respect for civil society space.