“These acts constitute serious violations of treaty and customary international law applicable in armed conflicts. In view of the foregoing factual and legal findings, the tribunal unanimously finds the defendants…guilty of all crimes and charges, including war crimes and violations of the International Humanitarian Law (IHL) alleged in the indictment,” the IPT’s panel of jurors declared.
“The intensity of the armed conflict in the Philippines, the ruthlessness of atrocities committed by the State, and the severity of the violations of the laws of war have made it imperative to call out and make the perpetrators answerable for the outrages against the people and those who resist oppression and exploitation,” IPT co-convenor International Association of Democratic Lawyers explained.
Nearly 80% of red-tagging cases against journalists and media groups are state-sponsored or come from government-employed individuals, the NUJP study NO TAG: Press Freedom for Pluralism says.
“No matter how much he tries, however, Marcos Jr. cannot wash his hands of responsibility for the escalating violations of human rights and international humanitarian law consequent to the NTF-ELCAC’s red-tagging mania,” Karapatan said.
Reiterating they are not against the so-called modernization of public utility vehicles, the protesters said the program’s franchise consolidation aspect however is a denial of their right to ownership and livelihood.
The activists decried that the Philippines is next only to India in terms of purchases of armaments from Israel amounting to billions. The groups said such contracts help fund Israel’s genocidal wars against the Palestinian people.
An International People’s Tribunal (IPT) will be held in Brussels, Belgium on May 17 and 18, Friday and Saturday, to try allegations of war crimes in the Philippines by the United States of America and the Rodrigo Duterte and Ferdinand Marcos Jr. governments.
CHR may agree to become an observer or a member of the new committee when invited “if only to give the CHR the chance to perform its bridging role” between the government as the main human rights duty bearer and the people as rights holders.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. formed a new special coordination committee on human rights critics quickly dubbed “mere window dressing” that offers “no policy changes” on the dire human rights situations in the Philippines.
“’Invitations’ from security units are always alarming and even dangerous because they are not truly optional. They are in fact coercive and a form of intimidation to compel obedience yet create uncertainty and anxiety for the individual summoned,” Lim said.
