|
BRUSSELS, BE — The
International Peoples Tribunal (IPT) on Saturday May 18th issued a
guilty verdict to Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Rodrigo Duterte, the Government
of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the United States
government for war crimes against the Filipino people and violations of
International Humanitarian Law (IHL).
In
a 10-page decision signed by an international panel of jurors including
former legal counsel to Nelson Mandela, Prof. Lennox Hinds, the
tribunal found “a steady rise in cases of abduction and enforced
disappearance perpetrated by GRP (Government of the Republic of the
Philippines) forces against activists.”
“We
want to stop the pattern of killings, abductions, and fake surrenders —
we want the government to stop equating activists as combatants, and to
surface all missing activists. We demand to hold state forces
accountable,” stated Jonila Castro, a witness and youth activist with
AKAP Ka Manila Bay, who was abducted, tortured and presented as a rebel
surrenderee by the Philippine military last year.
The
guilty verdict was welcomed by more than 200 observers in Brussels, who
heard demands for justice from expert witnesses, direct victims like
Castro, and family members of deceased victims of the US-directed
counterinsurgency operations over two days of IPT proceedings.
“We
found substantial and compelling evidence of widespread extrajudicial
killings, civilian massacres, enforced disappearances, indiscriminate
bombings, and other gross violations of international humanitarian law.
The atrocities and anti-people policies and actions of Mr. Duterte
appear to persist and intensify under the current Marcos Jr.
administration,” stated Séverine de Laveleye, member of the Belgian
Parliament and IPT juror.
Elaborating
on the basis of the guilty verdict, Laveleye stated, “our decision is
founded on the comprehensive examination of the evidence presented. The
testimonies of the witnesses, many of whom have shown tremendous courage
by coming forward, played a crucial role in shaping our understanding
of the systemic abuses perpetrated under these regimes with the tacit
support of the US.”
“The
defendants in this case have been duly notified, failed to respond,
failed to provide witnesses, and are therefore deemed to have waived
their rights,” noted lead juror Lennox Hinds before convening the jurors
to deliberate on the verdict. “The evidence presented was credible and
consistent,” said Hinds, as witnesses shared an inability to seek
justice in the Philippines due to neglect of the judicial process of the
GRP, or due to harassment and intimidation by GRP authorities
themselves.
“We
demand justice for the killing of our family. They were innocent and I
suspect no one else but the military themselves,” shared Emile Fausto,
whose murdered parents Billy and Emelda Fausto were both leaders of the
Farmworkers Association BABICAFA, working to implement genuine land
reform in the Buenavista municipality of Negros Occidental. Both of
Fausto’s parents and two young brothers, Ben Fausto (15) and Ravin
Fausto (12), were murdered together in June 2023 after facing years of
red-tagging and harassment by the 94th Infantry Battalion of the Armed
Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
In regards to armed combatants and execution of hors de combat,
the ruling noted that the GRP military repeatedly operates in violation
of Geneva convention rules of war, citing testimony on the recent case
of New People’s Army (NPA) combatant Hannah Cesista. Cecista, along with
four other NPA combatants, surrendered to the 47th Infantry Battalion
in order to protect civilian children nearby, and were subsequently
executed without trial. Cesista was forced to roll in mud before being
shot at point-blank range, while her counterparts were stripped and
executed in front of Bohol province villagers.
“These
are blatant violations of the most fundamental rules of war… apart from
being war crimes, these acts of the AFP expose an utter disdain for the
principles of humanity and deserve the utmost condemnation from this
tribunal,” noted juror Julen Arzuaga Gumuzio, member of Basque
parliament and the European Association of Democratic Lawyers.
“To
the defendants, this verdict is a solemn reminder that the
international community is watching you and will hold accountable those
who perpetrate or condone human rights abuses and violations of
international laws governing the rules of war,” asserted Laveleye in a
statement on the verdict.
“We
urge you to listen to the voices of your people, to uphold the
principles of justice and human rights, and to take immediate steps to
address the grievances and abuses that have been brought to light,”
Leveleye concluded. |
No comments:
Post a Comment