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International Tribunal finds US-Philippine governments guilty of rights violations vs. Filipino people

ICHRP Secretariat
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International Tribunal finds US-Philippine governments guilty of rights violations vs. Filipino people

A few weeks before BS Aquino’s last State of the Nation Address (SONA), the International Peoples’ Tribunal held in Washington, DC, found the Aquino regime guilty of violations of the Filipino people’s Civil and Political Rights, Economic and Socio-Cultural Rights; and Right to Self-Determination. The same guilty verdict was handed down to the US government, which is “equally liable with Defendant Aquino for these gross human rights violations.”

“We welcome the guilty verdict by the IPT especially in the light of BS Aquino’s scheduled SONA, which we expect as his last ditch effort to cover-up his crimes against the Filipino people with his usual lies,” said Cristina Palabay, Karapatan secretary general.

Karapatan was among the complainants, which filed cases of violations of civil and political rights. Other complainants were the Ecumenical Voice for Human Rights and Peace in the Philippines, Hustisya, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, Selda, Desaparecidos, Kilusang Mayo Uno, Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas, Migrante, Kadamay, Gabriela, Kalikasan, Bayan Muna. Karapatan chairperson Marie Hilao-Enriquez testified at the IPT as the expert witness on the overall human rights situation in Philippines.

The prosecution presented 34 cases of rights violations through 32 witnesses, 17 of whom went to Washington, DC; while 10 who remained in Manila were presented through live internet stream.

The tribunal’s jurors, headed by prominent US human rights attorney Azadeh Shahshahani, concluded that the “evidence complied with the evidentiary requirements, and that these evidences clearly established the factual basis of the Indictment, and the culpability of respondents Defendant Benigno Simeon Aquino III and Defendant Government of the United States of America.”

“The Defendants, in concert with each other, willfully and feloniously committed gross and systematic violations of Filipino people’s basic human rights,” said the Tribunal.

Other jurors in the tribunal were Rev. Dr. Molefe Tsele, a former South African ambassador, Mary Boyd, Atty. Camilo Perez-Bustillo, Pao-Yu Ching, Rev. Malcolm Damon, and Rev. Michael Yoshii.

The tribunal said the cases of rights violations “are not random violations” but constitute a clear pattern, especially in the context of the government’s implementation of Oplan Bayanihan, which is “implemented with the assistance of the Defendant Government of the U.S.”

Copies of the Verdict is set to be delivered at the White House and the US State Department by rights and peace groups in the US; and in Malacañang through a rally led by Bayan and Karapatan.

Political prisoners’ pre-SONA activity

To culminate today’s rally at Mendiola, relatives and friends of political prisoners led the demonstrators in singing “Bayan Ko”, in solidarity with the political prisoners who will do the same inside jails at 12:00 noon.  The singing of “Bayan Ko” by political prisoners in various jails nationwide kicks-off their week long activity leading to BS Aquino’s SONA. On July 27, political prisoners will lead discussions in detention centers as alternative to Aquino’s SONA.

Reference:
Cristina “Tinay” Palabay
Secretary General
+63917-3162831

Angge Santos
Media Liaison
+63918-9790580
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PUBLIC INFORMATION DESK
publicinfo@karapatan.org
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Alliance for the Advancement of People’s Rights
2nd Flr. Erythrina Building
#1 Maaralin corner Matatag Streets
Central District, Diliman,
Quezon City, PHILIPPINES 1101
Telefax: (+63 2) 4354146
Web: http://www.karapatan.org

International verdict declares Philippine President Aquino guilty

ICHRP Secretariat
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International verdict declares Philippine President Aquino guilty

Service of verdict planned for Monday

WASHINGTON DC– Azadeh Shahshahani, prominent human rights attorney and author, delivered the verdict declaring Philippine President Aquino and the U.S. Government, as represented by President Obama, “GUILTY of gross and systematic violations of human rights.”

Over the past two long, painful and enraging days, We have closely and keenly listened, watched, seen, asked, pondered on an uninterrupted procession of witnesses, survivors, families and friends – victims all in each and every way – as well as experts whose opinions are uncontested and indisputable because they constitute very credible testimonies, accounts and reports,” Atty. Shahshahani stated.

Nearly 300 observers packed into an auditorium, sitting behind victims and families of victims of human rights abuses under Philippine President Aquino, anxiously awaiting the final verdict of the International Peoples’ Tribunal.

After the verdict, the full group of expert witnesses of victims and spouses or family members of victims stood with raised fists. The packed room of observers rose to standing ovation for their courageous presence and testimony. They closed the applause with a chant of “Makibaka, Huwag Matakot! Struggle onward, have no fear!”

I am happy. Finally, through this peoples’ court, we really got a just verdict,” said Melissa Roxas.

Nelson, another witness whose wife Fidela Salvador was tortured and killed by the Armed Forces of the Philippines, shared, “When you seek justice and justice is so elusive, the verdict addressed a longing that we feel. In a world of injustice, this verdict is so enriching and it fills the emptiness that I’ve had for a long time.  The execution of the verdict was for the whole of all Filipinos and I hope it fuels more peoples’ fire for justice.”

The IPT verdict on charges against the Philippine President Aquino and the US government under Barack Obama will be serviced to the White House and the Philippine Embassy in a rally and march throughout D.C. this Monday, July 19 beginning at 10:00am.

In closing, Atty. Shahshahani stated that the panel of jurors “enjoin the Defendants to undertake, and the People to pursue proper remedial measures to prevent the commission or continuance of such illegal and criminal acts.”

The International Peoples’ Tribunal (IPT) was convened by the National Lawyers Guild, the International Association of Democratic Laywers, the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines, and IBON International.

For more information, copy of evidence submitted, and the full verdict, visit internationalpeoplestribunal.org.

Full coverage on testimonies heard is available on Twitter @IPT_2015.

Interviews available upon request.

Contact:
Berna Ellorin
347.244.8953

IPT 2015: A victory of the Filipino People

ICHRP Secretariat
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IPT 2015: A victory of the Filipino People

ILPS Philippine Chapter

The Philippines Chapter of the International League of Peoples’ Struggle (ILPS-Phils) hails the conclusion of the International Peoples’ Tribunal (IPT 2015) in Washington, D.C. as it finds the US and Aquino governments guilty beyond doubt of rights violations, crimes against humanity and war crimes.

The 32 witnesses and several experts braved all odds amid the intensifying crisis and political repression in the Philippines to testify on record before the tribunal.

The wealth of data, information, facts, analyses and other evidence clearly established the factual basis of the indictment, and the culpability of respondents Defendant Benigno Simeon Aquino III and Defendant Government of the United States of America.

We laud the panel of international jurors, prosecutors and staff of the tribunal as well as the militant and progressive peoples of the world who showed solidarity with the Filipino people in the fight for righteousness, justice and freedom.

The blood of our martyrs and victims of rights violations in the Philippines are not lost with the resounding success of the tribunal.

The guilty verdict on Pres. Aquino and the US government goes into the annals of the historic fight of the Filipino people against US imperialism and local reaction.

We are one with the IPT 2015 in calling “to seek redress, to pursue justice, and to transform this oppressive, exploitative and repressive global state of affairs exemplified by the experience and plight of the Filipino people, to challenge the international “rule of law”, and to construct a global order founded on full respect for the rights of all peoples, everywhere.”

We intend to pursue cases of rights abuses and violations as copies of the verdict reach the Prosecutor´s Office of the International Criminal Court (ICC), the Inter-American, European, African, and Asian regional courts or systems, as well as lawyers associations, human rights defenders, law schools, and human rights programs of study throughout the world.

A significant stride has been made with IPT 2015 as we march forward ever more resolutely to punish the perpetrators, render justice for the victims and end impunity in the country.

ILPS Philippine Chapter
Office Address:
2/F IBON Center, 114 Timog Avenue
Quezon City 1103,  PHILIPPINES
Tel: +63 2  9277062
E-mail: ilps.phils@gmail.com
Website: www.ilps-phils.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ILPSPhils
Twitter: www.twitter.com/ILPS_Phils

US-Aquino Regime Is Guilty!

ICHRP Secretariat
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US-Aquino Regime Is Guilty!

End Impunity! Justice For All Victims Of Human Right Violations In The Philippines!

The numerous number of Filipino migrants In Rome joined the protests-actions of thousands of Filipinos and supporters all over the world, to call for truth, accountability and justice, in solidarity with the victims and witnesses, during the International Peoples Tribunal (IPT) in Washington D.C. last July16-18, 2015.

According to the KARAPATAN Year End  Report on the Human Rights Situation in the Philippines, since Benigno Aquino III assumed Presidency in July 2010, the cases of extra-judicial killings 229, enforced disappearances 26, torture 106, rape 5, frustrated extra-judicial killing 225, illegal arrests and without detention 293, illegal arrests and detention 700, physical assault and injury 420, destruction of property 12,696, threat/harassment/intimidation 91,381, use of schools, medical, relegious and other public places for military purpose 149,134, restriction or violent dispersal of mass actions, public assemblies, and gatherings 27,129.

In a speaking tour of Mrs Edith Burgos (the mother of missing Jonas Burgos in 2007)  In Rome last May 21 and 24, she said; “Buti pa ang may pamilyang namatayan, may pinaglalamayan, ako di ko alam kung nasaan ang anak ko, kung buhay pa sya o patay na (good for  a family who is mourning for their dead, while me, I don’t know Where my son is, if he is still alive or dead).”

What Is happening in the Philippines is unacceptable! It Is a great crime against humanity!

We will continue to expose, work  and support the call for a just and lasting peace in the Philippines, Enough of Aquino! said Buboy Salle, Chairman and Spokesperson of ICHRP Rome Chapter.

Eng impunity! -- ICHRP Rome
Eng impunity! — ICHRP Rome

Atrocities committed by Philippine military, paramilitary forces: testimonies

ICHRP Secretariat
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Atrocities committed by Philippine military, paramilitary forces: testimonies

Washington, D.C. — A human rights tribunal opened with a series of witnesses describing killings, abductions and cases of torture allegedly carried out by Philippine security forces and paramilitary groups operating with impunity under President Aquino III.

The International People’s Tribunal, a three-day event that opened Thursday, is meant to pressure the Filipino and US governments to end the “climate of impunity” in the Philippines by exposing human rights violations.

One of the most poignant testimonies came from Lilia Devero, a farmer who told the tribunal that paramilitaries had abducted her husband, killed three members of her family, and burned down her home and those of family members. Her video testimony, recorded in the Philippines in her native tongue, was screened at the tribunal and translated into English.

In her testimony, Lilia said she fled her hometown on Negros Island after a group of about ten armed men raided her farmhouse in July 2011 and kidnapped her husband, Jully Devero. Two other local farmers — Gerald Abale and Michael Celeste — were also kidnapped, according to the human rights group Karapatan. The three men, who were reportedly targeted because they were suspected as members of the New People’s Army (NPA), an armed rebel group, haven’t been seen since.

The kidnappers are suspected of being members of the Revolutionary Proletarian Army-Alex Boncayao Brigade (RPA-ABB), a group that splintered away from the NPA in the 1990s and reportedly works with the Philippine military in its counter-insurgency program. Activists have blasted that program, known as Oplan Bayanihan, as a cover for the violent repression of social movements, done with the complicity of the Philippine and US governments.

Lilia told the tribunal that members of the group also killed her uncle, cousin and an older sibling. “They want to silence the whole family,” she said.

After spending three years in hiding, she returned home to farm the land, despite warnings from neighbours that she could be the next victim. “I don’t care if they’re going to kill me,” she told the tribunal. “I want justice.”

Her house had meanwhile been targeted in an arson allegedly committed by the same paramilitaries, who also allegedly attempted to rape her daughter. The emotional testimony was just one of the most striking on the first day of the tribunal.

The cases are being heard by an international panel of jurors that includes human rights scholars, ministers and social justice activists. They plan to deliver their verdict on Saturday.

The accused include the governments of the Philippines and the United States, along with organizations such as the World Bank and various multinational corporations and banks operating in the Philippines. Organizers said the US and Philippine governments were informed about the proceedings but declined to send legal representatives.

The outcome of the tribunal won’t be legally binding but is meant to exert moral and political pressure on the governments. According to the Philippine news agency Bulatlat, three international tribunals on human rights in the Philippines have taken place, with former presidents Ferdinand Marcos and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo both being found guilty, the latter twice.

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