Filipino Group Accuses US of “Gross Human Rights Violations”

on July 21, 2015

On July 16-18, 2015 a collection of Filipino organizations representing civil rights advocacy, poverty, indigenous rights, women’s rights, workers’ rights, and migrants’ rights put the president and government of the Philippines and President Obama, the government of the United States, the IMF, the World Bank, and the World Trade Organization on trial. The “International Peoples’ Tribunal on Crimes Against the Filipino People” was held at the Catholic University of America, and was sponsored by a host of left-wing organizations and churches including CODE Pink, United Church of Christ – Canada, Kairos – Canada, United National Anti-war Coalition, Union of Progressive Iranians, United Church of Christ in the USA, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the USA and Canada, the General Board of Global Ministries and the General Board of Church and Society of the United Methodist Church, the National Council of Churches, and the Episcopal Church. The tribunal indicted and condemned the United States for “gross violations of human rights – civil, political, economic, social, cultural, self-determination, and liberation.”

The prosecuting attorneys began their opening statement claiming the fundamental right to be free from want and fear and to live in dignity. They claimed that the leadership of the government of the Philippines were “human rights violators of the most atrocious kind” who “knowingly and deliberately propagate inequality.” Extending their accusations to the United States, the prosecutors claimed that the “greatest crime since World War II is US foreign policy” and were incensed that the US military was still able to use the Philippines as a military base. According to the prosecution, the “rich are getting richer, and the poor are getting poorer. Workers are leaving by the thousands, and two-thirds of the population lives below the international poverty line.”

Various witnesses – some in person, some via Skype from the Philippines, and some through recorded testimony – presented allegations of abuse against the government of the Philippines and Filipino president, Benigno Aquino III. These allegations included extrajudicial killings and massacres, forced disappearances, torture, arbitrary arrests and detentions, and economic plunder. Retired UMC Bishop Solito Toquero spoke of being beaten by the police while trying to force his way, along with a mob, into the Filipino congress building while Aquino was giving the State of the Union address. The United States government was held also to be guilty because of its support of Aquino’s government.

The Philippines is currently dealing with internal threats from The New People’s Army the armed branch of the Communist Party of the Philippines which has reportedly been supplied by both China and North Korea. This group engages in guerilla tactics and imposes “taxes” on local people and businesses. The New People’s Army is designated as a terrorist group by both the US government and the EU.

Though the testimony of the witnesses was tragic and challenging, the tribunal undercut the integrity of its proceedings through its overly-broad and virulent accusations, the absence of cross examination, and the panel of jurors which seemed hand-picked to achieve the desired “verdict.” Perhaps this year’s tribunal will have the good effect of their previous tribunals (Manila, 2005 & The Hague, 2007) in reducing the abuses. If the International Peoples’ Tribunal wishes to be taken seriously, however, it should move past publicity stunts and wild accusations.

  1. Comment by Max Friedman on July 23, 2015 at 10:08 pm

    Matthew. When writing an important column like this, it is imperative for the readers to know the “Who” of the key participants, such as the “prosecutors”, “witnesses”, etc.
    This is only one of many Marxist-oriented “International Tribunals” held against the US since Bertrand Russell’s “International Tribunal Against US War Crimes in Vietnam”, the US Hanoi Lobby’s “Citizens’ Commission of Inquiry” (Fonda, Dellinger, Rifkin, etc), and the Cuban “tribunals”, among others.
    You can find some of these tribunals written about at http://www.keywiki.org, search for the words “Tribunal”, “War Crimes”, “Bertrand Russell”, etc.
    Then you can see how this database organization describes the tribunals and the “Who’s Who” of them.

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