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PRESS RELEASE
International Coordinating Secretariat
Permanent People’s Tribunal (PPT)
Second Session on the Philippines
26 March 2007
ARROYO GUILTY OF CRIMES AGAINST
HUMANITY
Tribunal Verdict to be transmitted to the UN, ICJ and European Parliament
THE HAGUE, Netherlands – In a 13-page verdict read before about 300 people
inside a church in this city March 25, the Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal
(PPT) found both Philippine President Gloria M. Arroyo and U.S. President
George W. Bush, Jr. and their respective governments as responsible for
gross and systematic violations of human rights, economic plunder and
transgression of the Filipino people’s sovereignty, were.
The verdict, read at the conclusion of the five-day second session on the
Philippines by François Houtart, Session President, described the
extrajudicial killings, forced disappearances, massacres, torture and other
atrocities allegedly committed by the Arroyo government as “crimes against
humanity”. Such violations which the PPT said were in no way justified as
“necessary measures against terrorism”, must be stopped immediately.
In a cultural program held right after the verdict was read, Senator Jamby
Madrigal said the Tribunal’s judgment will dispel the claims of the Arroyo
government that there is democracy in the Philippines. The senator, who
spoke as a resource person during the tribunal proceedings, said that the
country is now ruled by a military junta with Mrs. Arroyo acting only as a
figurehead.
The concluding part of the Tribunal took place at the Pax Christikerk in The
Hague. The Hague is the Netherlands’ seat of government and the world’s
center of international law. It hosts the International Court of Justice
(ICJ), the new International Criminal Court (ICC) of the Rome Statute of
1998, and the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia
(ICTFY) that tried Milosevic, the deposed president of Yugoslavia for war
crimes.
The Tribunal, composed of six internationally-eminent persons, also named
the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), as having “a central role” in the
atrocities, adding that the military is “a structural component and
instrument of the policy of the ‘war on terror’ in the Philippines” declared
by both Arroyo and Bush, Jr.
The verdict was rendered after three continuous session days that heard the
testimonies of witnesses of political killings and abductions, expert
testimonies and boxes of documents, and other evidences to support three
major charges against the two governments. The charges were on: violations
of the Filipino
people’s civil and political rights; economic, political, and cultural
rights; and violations of the people’s rights to national self-determination
and national liberation.
The number of victims of extrajudicial killings in the Philippines has
reached 839 this week. Hundreds of others were victims of frustrated murders
and abductions, widely believed to be perpetrated by government security
forces. This report has been confirmed by the UN Special Rapporteur on
extrajudicial, involuntary or summary executions, and by the
government-created Melo Commission.
In the Tribunal, several testimonies of eyewitnesses, experts and resource
persons were heard live through tele-video conference with Manila, with
questions tossed by members of the Tribunal’s jury.
Those who gave depositions and testimonies either in person or through video
hook-up included Marie Hilao-Enriquez, secretary general of human rights
alliance Karapatan; Dr. Constancio “Chandu” Claver, victim of frustrated
murder; Dr. June P. Lopez, an expert in handling torture and trauma victims;
Navy Capt. (ret.) Danilo Vizmanos; UP Faculty Regent Prof. Roland
Simbulan; Bishop Elmer Bolocon of the UCCP and Ecumenical Bishops Forum
(EBF); Elmer Labog, chair of Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU); and Danilo Ramos of
the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP).
Senator Madrigal also appeared before the PPT as resource person on the
environment.
‘Unacceptable’
The Tribunal jurors also denounced as “unacceptable” the inclusion of the
Arroyo government in the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC). The
Philippine membership, the jurors said, undermines the credibility of the
United Nations particularly in human rights, and is “an intolerable offense”
to the victims.
Aside from Houtart, who is from Belgium and Director of the Centre
Tricontinental (Cetri), the PPT jurors included Oda Makoto (Japan),
well-known novelist and social activist; Ties Prakken (The Netherlands),
professor in criminal law Maastricht University; Oystein Tveter (Norway),
lawyer and former Director of the Karibu Foundation and former foreign
ministry official in South Africa and Zambia; Irene Fernandez (Malaysia),
lawyer, social development expert and head of Tenaganita; and Lilia Solano
(Colombia), 2005 Right Livelihood Awardee (alternative Nobel) and Director
of Project for Life and Peace.
Richard Falk (USA), professor emeritus of international law at Princeton
University and Hans Köechler (Austria), president of the International
Progress Organizations could not make it due to academic commitments.
Houtart and Makoto were also members of the jury during the first session on
the Philippines in 1980 held in Antwerp, Belgium, which found the
Marcos dictatorship guilty for gross and systematic violations of human
rights, among others. That verdict became a major factor in the
international isolation of the Marcos dictatorship that eventually led to
its ouster six years later.
PPT General Secretary Gianni Tognoni served as moderator of the proceedings.
Houtart said that although the verdict may be legally non-binding, it is
nevertheless “morally binding”. The judgment will be transmitted to
the United Nations, the International Court of Justice, the European
Parliament and various foreign governments. Tognoni said that the
transmittal to these bodies will be a major step toward focusing world
attention on the human rights crisis in the Philippines. World opinion, the
PPT general secretary said, will add more pressure to the U.S.-supported
Arroyo government to stop the killings.
FOR REFERENCE:
Angelica M. Gonzales, MD
Executive Director, International Coordinating Secretariat
Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal (PPT)
Second Session on the Philippines
secretariat@philippinetribunal.org
www.philippinetribunal.org
Download press
release in text format
===========================================
Int’l forum:
RP gov’t responsible for slays Palace allies hit verdict as black propaganda
By Jocelyn Uy
Inquirer
Posted date: March 26, 2007
MANILA, Philippines -- A forum of lawyers and human rights activists meeting
in The Hague found the administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
responsible for unsolved killings and disappearances in the Philippines,
according to a copy of its verdict sent to the Philippine Daily Inquirer
late Sunday night.
Malacañang allies in the House of Representatives slammed the verdict as
unfair and biased.
“The wealth and consistency of the oral and written documentation made
available through witnesses and expert reports, has convinced the [tribunal]
that each and all of the three charges presented against [Ms Arroyo] and her
government and against [US President] George Walker Bush and his government
are substantiated,” said the decision of the group called the Permanent
People’s Tribunal. -->>>>
►
Statement of NDFP Human Rights Committe Chair
►
INQUIRER:
Tribunal verdict vs Arroyo to be sent to UN, int'l bodies
►
INQUIRER: Int'l forum: RP gov't responsible for slays
►
INQUIRER: Victims’ kin hail People’s Tribunal guilty verdict vs Arroyo
►
INQUIRER:Roots of the International People’s Tribunal
►
ABS-CBN: 'Arroyo regime worse than Marcos era’
►
GMAnewsTV:Leftists turn to Internet to spread word about killings
►
GMAnewsTV: Political prisoners start fast vs killings,
arrests
►
CPP
hails guilty international tribunal's guilty verdict on Arroyo and Bush
governments
►
Oplan Bantay Laya: U.S.-Arroyo Regime’s ‘Final
Solution’ by Capt. Dan Vizmanos
►
Against
Impunity by Luis V. Teodoro
►
At the
center of the universe - column by Patricia Evangelista
►
Inquirer - Roots of the Peoples' Tribunal
►
Karapatan - Dutch envoy insults the victims |
Press Statement
26 March 2007
PERMANENT PEOPLES’ TRIBUNAL FINDS ARROYO AND BUSH GUILTY OF CRIMES
AGAINST HUMANITY
By Prof. Jose Maria Sison
Chairperson, International League of Peoples’ Struggle
As chairperson of the International League of Peoples’ Struggle (ILPS), I
wish to congratulate the Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal (PPT), the initiators,
the distinguished jurors from various countries, the prosecutors, the
plaintiffs and coordinators for their resounding success in the trial of the
case of the Filipino people against the Arroyo regime and its imperialist
accomplices from the five-day PPT proceedings from 21 to 25 March 2007 in
The Hague, The Netherlands.
We hail as well-substantiated and just the verdict of the Permanent Peoples’
Tribunal finding the governments of Gloria M. Arroyo and George W. Bush, the
International Monetary Fund, World Bank, World Trade Organization, the
multinational firms and banks guilty of oppressing the Filipino people,
plundering the Philippines and trampling down on Philippine sovereignty.
The accused oppressors and plunderers are guilty of the following crimes:
1. Violations of human rights, especially civil and political rights, with
particular focus on extra-judicial killings, disappearances, massacres,
torture as well as other vicious, brutal and systematic abuses and attacks
on the basic democratic rights of the people.
2. Violations of human rights, especially economic, social and cultural
rights of the Filipino people through the imposition of "free market"
globalization to exploit them; transgression of their economic sovereignty
and national patrimony; various forms of economic plunder and attacks on
their economic rights; and the destruction of the environment.
3. Violations of the rights of the people to national self-determination and
liberation through the imposition of the US war of terror; US military
intervention; as well as the perpetration of crimes against humanity and war
crimes; misrepresentations of the people's right to national liberation and
self-determination as terrorism and the baseless "terrorist" listing of
individuals, organizations and other entities by the US and other
governments.
We are deeply pleased that the Filipino people and the organizations,
HUSTISYA!, SELDA, Desaparecidos, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN, New
Patriotic Alliance), KARAPATAN, Public Interest Law Center, Peace for Life,
Philippine Peace Center, IBON Foundation, United Church of Christ in the
Philippines and the Ecumenical Bishops Forum have won a meaningful measure
of justice from the PPT trial.
As an organization dedicated to the cause of national and social liberation
of the peoples of the world, we the ILPS are glad that the PPT verdict
condemns the imperialist policy of profit-driven “free market globalization”
and the Bush global war of terror. These are the motivations and cause of
the brutal suppression of human rights in the Philippines.
We praise the PPT verdict for regarding as substantiated the charge against
the Arroyo and Bush governments for violating Philippine national
sovereignty. The charge includes the instigation of crimes against humanity
under the Bush war of terror, US military intervention and the
misrepresentation of the people’s right to national liberation and
self-determination as “terrorism” and the listing and labeling of Philippine
revolutionary forces and progressive leaders as “terrorist”.
We believe that the PPT verdict will have far reaching consequences. The
record of the proceedings and the verdict will be published and will serve
as substantial material for mass campaigns in the Philippines and abroad.
They expose the crimes of the Arroyo regime and its accomplices and can
further arouse and mobilize the Filipino people to fight for their national
and democratic rights, with the support of the people of the world.
The Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal is an international opinion court. The
victimized peoples and organizations submit their case to this tribunal when
they have no access to a fair and just court of law. The trials and verdicts
of the PPT have a strong moral authority and are resonant throughout the
world. Furthermore, the evidence and legal arguments collected and
ventilated before the PPT can be used in the future to try Gloria M. Arroyo
and her cohorts in various courts of law for criminal and civil liabilities.
###
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statement in Word format
====================
“The tribunal, having considered the evidence before it, is of the opinion
that the reported killings, torture and forced disappearances fall under the
responsibility of the Philippine government and are by no means justified in
terms of necessary measures against terrorism,” it added.
A copy of the
decision was e-mailed to the Inquirer Sunday night by the Philippine chapter
of the tribunal secretariat through the human rights alliance Karapatan. Its
secretary general, Marie Hilao-Enriquez, testified on the human rights
situation in the country.
A seven-member jury of the tribunal heard charges against both the
Philippine and US governments which, the verdict said, “colluded with each
other in implementing the US’ so-called ‘war on terror’ in Southeast Asia.”
Leaders of the House majority said the Hague forum showed its “biased
nature” by asking Sen. Jamby Madrigal to testify before the group.
House Majority Leader Prospero Nograles and Antique Rep. Exequiel Javier
said in a statement that Madrigal’s testimony “was part of the intensified
opposition black propaganda against the President.”
The tribunal, an independent body founded in 1979 in Italy by lawyers,
writers and intellectuals, examines and judges complaints regarding
violations of human rights submitted by the victims themselves or groups
representing them.
The hearings were held in a church in The Hague.
The Philippine government has blamed the communist New People’s Army for
most of the murders, saying the group was purging its own ranks.
The international community has voiced concern over the unresolved killings
of hundreds of political activists in the country since Ms Arroyo took
office in 2001.
The charges presented against both the Arroyo and Bush administrations
included:
• Gross and systematic violations of civil and political rights:
extrajudicial killings, abduction and disappearances, massacre, torture.
• Gross and systematic violation of economic, social and cultural rights.
• Gross and systematic violations of the rights to national
self-determination and liberation.
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