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Proposta de resolução - B8-0206/2018Proposta de resolução
B8-0206/2018
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MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the Philippines

17.4.2018 - (2018/2662(RSP))

with request for inclusion in the agenda for a debate on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law
pursuant to Rule 135 of the Rules of Procedure

Barbara Lochbihler, Bodil Valero, Jordi Solé, Igor Šoltes on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group

See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B8-0198/2018

Processo : 2018/2662(RSP)
Ciclo de vida em sessão
Ciclo relativo ao documento :  
B8-0206/2018
Textos apresentados :
B8-0206/2018
Textos aprovados :

B8‑0206/2018

European Parliament resolution on the Philippines

(2018/2662(RSP))

The European Parliament,

 

- having regard to its previous resolutions on the Philippines, in particular the resolution of 16th March 2017 and of 15th September 2016;

 

- having regard to the Framework Agreement on Partnership and Cooperation between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of the Philippines, of the other part,

 

- having regard to the International Covenant on Civil and Political rights and the Additional Protocol to which the Philippines is signatory

 

- having regard to the fact that since 25 December 2014 Philippines have enjoyed enhanced trade preferences with the EU under the EU´s Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP+)

 

- having regard to the statement by the Spokesperson of the High Representative on the Philippines and the International Criminal Court of 16th March 2018

 

- having regard to the EU Common Position on Arms Exports, particularly criterion two on the respect for human rights and international humanitarian law by the recipient country;

 

- having regard to the statement of 23rd November 2017 by Ms. Agnes Callamard, Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions; Mr. Michel Forst, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders and Mr. Diego García-Sayán, Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers;

 

–  having regard to the EU Guidelines on Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law,

 

–  having regard to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948,

 

- having regard to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court,

 

– having regard to Rule 135 of its Rules of Procedure,

 

A. whereas since President Duterte took office and authorised a crackdown on users and sellers of narcotics, the Philippine National Police claims the number of killed people in the war of drugs is 7,080, while according to civil society organisations this number amounts to more than 12,000 people;

 

B. whereas the House of Representatives approved a bill on 7th March 2017 to reinstate death penalty; whereas the bill still requires senatorial approval before the president can sign it into law; whereas Mr. Duterte has actively campaigned for the reinstatement of death penalty;

 

C. whereas in March 2018 a recommendation by the finance ministry to stop accepting grants that carried conditions, especially on human rights, was approved by President Duterte;

 

D. whereas on the 23rd November 2017 Mr. Duterte signed Proclamation number 360, formally terminating the peace talks with the National Democratic Front-Communist Party of the Philippines-The New People´s Army of the Philippines

 

E. whereas the Philippine Department of Justice filed a petition on February 2018 seeking to declare the CPP and the New People´s Army as terrorist organisations; whereas that petition included the labelling of more than 600 people as “terrorists”, including indigenous leaders and human rights defenders known for their consistent and democratic work to further human rights, mainly Joan Carling, Joanna Carino, Windel Bolinget, Jose Molintas, Beverly Longid, Jeanette Ribaya and Sherwin De Vera; whereas the list also included the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, whose work in the defence of the rights of indigenous peoples has been outstanding;

 

F. whereas Senator Leila de Lima was detained since February 2017 on politically motivated drug charges; whereas de Lima led a Senate inquiry into the drug war killings and opened an investigation of the Davao Death Squad in Davao City, where Mr. Duterte was mayor for more than 20 years;

 

G. whereas Mr. Duterte has repeatedly called for the Philippine National Police to target suspected drug users and dealers with extrajudicial violence, practically instigating law enforcement to commit murder; whereas his government has qualified independent investigations into police drug war killings as legal harassment, and the President vowed to pardon any police personnel implicated in unlawful killings; whereas this instigation and incitation of killings could amount to crimes against humanity.

 

H. whereas Mr. Duterte encouraged police attacks against human rights groups and advocates, instructing police to shoot them “if they are obstructing justice”; whereas his presidential spokesman accused human rights groups “to have become unwitting tools of drug lords to hinder the strides made by the administration”; whereas Mr. Duterte has publicly condemned the official Commission on Human Rights, even threatening to abolish the constitutionally mandated body;

 

I. whereas Philippine police and their agents have been accused by NGO investigations of repeatedly carrying out extrajudicial killings of drug suspects, and then falsely claimed self-defense;

 

J. whereas since the stalling of peace talks indigenous rights advocates, activists, communities and people’s organizations asserting indigenous peoples rights became targets of illegal arrests and detention, political vilification and persecution, threats, harassment and intimidation, the filing of trumped-up charges and even extrajudicial killing

 

K. whereas women in the Philippines face continuous misogynists and menacing remarks from President Duterte, who has repeatedly justified rape and call for shooting women; whereas LGTBI students face continuous harassment;

 

L. whereas Philippines withdrew from the International Criminal Court (ICC) after the ICC started its "preliminary examination" of the complaint filed against Mr. Duterte in connection with the high number of killings under the anti-drug campaign;

 

M. whereas the ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) condemned the killing of indigenous, environmental activist Ricardo Pugong Mayumi in the Philippines earlier this month and called for a prompt and thorough investigation into his murder, adding that the killing highlights the increasingly hostile climate faced by activists in the Philippines,

 

N. whereas the government has repeatedly tried to purchase electronic surveillance equipment; whereas the UK government has already sold him around £150,000 worth of surveillance technology, including IMSI-catchers, which are used to eavesdrop on telephone conversations, and surveillance tools to monitor internet activity;

 

 

1. Strongly condemns the killings of human rights defenders and civil society activists in the Philippines, urges Philippine authorities to investigate all attacks and killings and bring perpetrators to justice;

 

2. Urges the Philippine government to end attacks on human rights defenders critical of the government, and ensure that human rights defenders, journalists and activists can carry out their work in an enabling environment and without fear of reprisals; calls on the immediate release of Senator Leila de Lima and of the human rights activists who remain in prison;

 

3. Calls on EU Member States to support the creation of an official UN-led investigation into the extrajudicial executions and other human rights violations committed in the context of anti-drug operations, as a step towards ending impunity, preventing further killings, delivering justice to victims, and ensuring reparations;

 

4. Calls on the Philippine authorities to remove human rights defenders from the terrorist list, dropping all charges and allowing them to undertake their activities in peace; reminds the Philippine authorities that Ms. Victoria Tauli-Corpuz benefits from immunity under the Convention on Privileges and Immunities of 1946;

 

5. Is dismayed by the violent and misogynistic rhetoric against all real or perceived critics, which is fuelling actual acts of violence and promoting fear and self-censorship within Philippine civil society; urges the Philippine government to refrain from using such rhetoric;

 

6. Urges the congress to abstain from reintroducing the death penalty which according to all empirical evidence does not reduce drug delinquency and would destroy a great achievement of the Philippine justice system;

 

7. Calls on EU Member States to refrain from exporting repressive technology including surveillance technology to the Duterte regime; calls on Member States to refrain from providing the Philippines with security and military equipment which would be non-compliant with the legal obligations of criterion two of the EU Common Position on Arms Exports

 

8. Calls on the Philippine government to fully cooperate with the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in its preliminary examination of the Philippines and revert the country’s withdrawal as a signatory to the Rome Statute;

 

9.Reminds the Philippine government of its obligation to fully comply with all its international law and human rights obligations, as requested by the international human rights treaties it is party to, by the GSP+ scheme and by the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement; recalls that human rights provisions are an essential element of the PCA;

 

10. Calls on the European Commission to use all available instruments to persuade the Philippines to put an end to extrajudicial killings related to the anti-drug campaign including procedural steps with a view to the possible removal of GSP+ preferences;

 

11. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the Government and Congress of the Philippines, the Secretary General of the United Nations and the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court

 

 

Última actualização: 17 de Abril de 2018
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