‘People’s court’ finds Duterte guilty of rights violations
MANILA, Philippines — The International People’s Tribunal found President Rodrigo Duterte “guilty” of violating the political and economic rights of Filipinos in a ruling described by Malacañang as a sham.
The IPT, convened in Brussels, Belgium, found Duterte, US President Donald Trump and international monetary organizations guilty on Thursday (Wednesday in Brussels) after hearing testimonies on the alleged rights violations of the Duterte administration.
“We heard the testimonies of the witnesses—many of them heart-wrenching, traumatic and horrific—experts and resource persons, as well as the digests of the wealth of data, information, facts, analyses and other evidence presented and submitted before us and we have made an initial analysis and observation,” the jurors said.
The decision reads: “It is our consensus, therefore, that the defendants Duterte, Trump and all other defendants are guilty of all charges specified in the indictment, which account for their accountability for crimes against humanity, war crimes and violations of law and legal instruments referred to in this indictment.”
Testimonies on rights abuses, attacks on journalists
IPT’s verdict will be submitted to the United Nations Human Rights Council, the European Parliament and the International Criminal Court, which is conducting a preliminary examination into the government’s bloody war on drugs.
IPT, however, is not a strictly legal and judicial proceeding.
For two days, witnesses, families of victims and concerned organizations raised the issues of alleged extrajudicial killings linked with the government’s anti-narcotics campaign and counterinsurgency program, detention and political persecution of dissenters and activists, rights abuses during the Marawi siege and imposition of martial law in Mindanao, and attacks on journalists.
According to a report on alternative media site Bulatlat.com, the IPT has indicted abusive administrations in the past, starting with ousted dictator Ferdinand Marcos, Sr. in 1980.
A people’s tribunal in the Hague, Netherlands indicted the Arroyo administration “for human rights violations, economic plunder and transgression of Philippine sovereignty” in 2007. A people’s tribunal in Washington, DC also indicted former President Aquino III with US President Barack Obama, for “crimes against the Filipino people” in 2015.
‘Sham’ verdict
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque, however, dismissed IPT’s decision as “sham.”
“It has no official sanction. The validity of the findings will depend on the credibility of the tribunals,” Roque said Thursday.
The president’s mouthpiece insisted that the tribunal as a “propaganda body of the international Left.” Testimonies at the proceedings were given by groups and indivduals either associated with the national democratic movement or have been critical of the Duterte administration's policies.
“Therefore, we set it aside as being a useless piece of propaganda against the government,” Roque said.
But rights group Karapatan and National Union of People’s Lawyers maintained that the IPT is a legitimate venue for redress and grievances.
“The IPT follows and respects due process where the Defendants are duly notified and given an adequate opportunity to participate and defend themselves; has its rules of procedure that is consistent with universal standards of evidence; convened by prestigious and respected international lawyers’ organizations; presided by a panel of eminent jurrors of different disciplines; and where the proceedings are conducted in an open and public trial,” NUPL said.
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