Victims’ Kin Welcome Guilty Verdict on Arroyo, Bush by Int’l Tribunal
BY
EMILY VITAL
Posted 12:47 p.m., March 26, 2007
Families of victims
of extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances and other human
rights violations welcomed the verdict of an international tribunal
declaring both the Arroyo and Bush governments guilty of crimes against
humanity.
In a press
conference in Quezon City, Monday, Dee Ayroso, coordinator of
Desaparecidos, said in Filipino, “The verdict of the Permanent Peoples’
Tribunal is a big victory for all of us. Let the whole world know that
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and George W. Bush are criminals.”
The Permanent
Peoples’ Tribunal (PPT) released its 13-page verdict Sunday, around 2pm
at the Pax Christikerk in The Hague, the Netherlands. Francois Houtart,
president of the PPT’s Second Session on the Philippines, read out the
verdict after three continuous days of hearing testimonies from at least
13 witnesses.
Houtart 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,” said Houtart.
Evangeline
Hernandez, spokesperson of Hustisya (Victims United for Justice) and
mother of slain human rights advocate Benjaline Hernandez, said, “Now,
we stand on a high moral ground. We have come a long way to seek
justice. The international community has seen the true face of Arroyo.”
Hernandez added,
“We, the relatives of numerous victims of extrajudicial killings, are no
longer fearful or ashamed.”
Houtart warned that
the Arroyo government will be held accountable if something happens to
the witnesses who testified before the PPT.
Ayroso said, “We
hope that the PPT’s findings will pave the way for the ouster of
Arroyo.”
In 1980, the PPT’s
First Session on the Philippines declared Marcos guilty of human rights
abuses. The dictator was ousted in 1986 through a popular uprising.
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.
The PPT jurors also
found ‘unacceptable’ the membership of the Philippines in the United
Nations Human Rights Council, saying it is an ‘intolerable offense’ to
the victims.
Meanwhile, Renato
Reyes Jr., secretary general of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan)
disputed Malacañang’s claim that the PPT is a mere black propaganda.
Reyes pointed out that the respondents were invited to attend the
hearings through their embassies in Rome and in The Hague. “They (Arroyo
and Bush) waived their right to defend themselves and to air their
side.”
Bayan is also one
of the complainants in the case against Arroyo. Bulatlat
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