MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the Philippines
17.4.2018 - (2018/2662(RSP))
pursuant to Rule 135 of the Rules of Procedure
Cristian Dan Preda, Tomáš Zdechovský, Patricija Šulin, Francis Zammit Dimech, Milan Zver, Csaba Sógor, Mairead McGuinness, Romana Tomc, Ivan Štefanec, Eduard Kukan, Elisabetta Gardini, Giovanni La Via, Adam Szejnfeld, Michaela Šojdrová, Tunne Kelam, Bogdan Andrzej Zdrojewski, David McAllister, Lars Adaktusson, Krzysztof Hetman, Željana Zovko, Bogdan Brunon Wenta, Sandra Kalniete, Deirdre Clune, Andrey Kovatchev, Pavel Svoboda, Ivana Maletić, Laima Liucija Andrikienė, Julia Pitera, Marijana Petir, Ramón Luis Valcárcel Siso, Seán Kelly, Inese Vaidere, Dubravka Šuica on behalf of the PPE Group
See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B8-0198/2018
The European Parliament,
- having regard to its previous resolutions on the Philippines,
- having regard to the Statement by the EEAS Spokesperson of 16 March 2018 on the Philippines and the International Criminal Court,
- having regard to the Framework Agreement on Partnership and Cooperation between the European Union (EU) and its Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of the Philippines, of the other part,
- having regard to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948,
- having regard to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,
- having regard to Rules 135(5) and 123(4) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas the Philippines and the EU have longstanding diplomatic, economic, cultural and political relations; whereas through ratification of the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, the European Union and the Philippines have reaffirmed their joint commitment to the principles of good governance, democracy, the rule of law, the promotion of social and economic development, as well as to peace and security in the region;
B. whereas United Nations (UN) human rights experts have called on the Government of the Philippines to urgently address growing reports of human rights violations;
C. whereas the EU remains deeply concerned about the high number of killings associated with the campaign against illegal drugs in the Philippines;
D. whereas UN human rights experts expressed serious concern that the exact number of victims was unknown, owing to changes in terminology and conflicts in official reporting, and about the limited number of investigations under way;
E. whereas on 23 February 2017, an arrest warrant was issued against Senator Leila M. De Lima of the Philippines on charges of alleged drug-related offences; whereas on 24 February 2017 Senator De Lima was arrested and detained; whereas, if convicted, Senator De Lima could face a sentence from 12 years up to life in prison and be expelled from the Senate;
F. whereas the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has opened a preliminary examination of the situation in the Philippines, which will analyse crimes allegedly committed in the country since at least 1 July 2016, in the context of the "war on drugs" campaign launched by the Government of the Philippines;
G. whereas on 19 March 2018, the ICC was officially notified by the UN that the Philippines had on 17 March 2018 deposited a written notification of withdrawal from the Rome Statute;
1. Expresses its concern about the increasing levels of violence, killings, intimidation and harassment being suffered by human rights defenders, trade union organizers, farmers and their family members;
2. Is concerned about the high number of killings in the context of the anti-drugs campaign; notes with concern that many of the killings appear to be perpetrated by law enforcement officials and by unknown assailants;
3. Stresses that it is imperative to conduct prompt, effective, impartial and transparent investigations of all cases of death leading to prosecution in all cases of unlawful killings;
4. Reiterates its call for the immediate release of Senator Leila M. De Lima and for her to be provided with adequate security whilst in detention; calls on the authorities of the Philippines to ensure a fair trial, recalling the right to the presumption of innocence, to drop all politically motivated charges against her and to end any further acts of harassment against her;
5. Strongly regrets the decision of the Government of the Philippines to initiate its withdrawal from the Rome Statute; calls on the Government to reverse this decision;
6. Urges the EU to use all available instruments to assist the Government of the Philippines in upholding its international human rights obligations;
7. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the Council, the Commission, the parliaments and governments of the Member States, and the Government and Parliament of the Philippines.