This week marks the 40th anniversary of the People Power Revolution, when hundreds of thousands of Filipinos took to Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA) in Manila to oppose two decades of dictatorship under Ferdinand Marcos Sr. and demand the restoration of democracy.

During this mass demonstration, protesters carried flowers, prayed, and peacefully resisted a violent regime. They courageously challenged injustice, repression, and electoral fraud.

Although the peaceful 1986 uprising ended Marcos Sr.’s regime, Filipinos continue to struggle for freedom and justice. Today, under President Marcos Jr., human rights violations persist, including threats to freedom of expression, extrajudicial killings, and red-tagging: labeling critical voices as terrorists in order to justify silencing them.

HRF honors those who stood against oppression in 1986 and stands in solidarity with Filipino human rights defenders, journalists, and activists today who continue to demand accountability and uphold democracy.