In recognition of the urgency of the appeal of the Initiating Group of
Philippine organizations, the Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal  convened the
Second Session on the Philippines in March 2007 in The Hague
(Netherlands).

In 1980, the Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal convened a Session on the Philippines to hear the case against the dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos, at the suit of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF). It was the first international juridical body to condemn the US sponsored Marcos dictatorship. Marcos was later deposed through a popular uprising in February 1986.

The second session deliberated on the indictment against the Arroyo regime, the US government and multilateral agencies acting as their accomplices, in violating the Filipino people’s individual and collective rights, and for crimes under international law.

In its judgment promulgated in public on March 25 2007 the Tribunal stated:

“The wealth and consistency of the oral and written documentation made available through witnesses and expert reports, has convinced the Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal that each and all of the three charges presented against Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her Government, and against George Walker Bush and his Government are substantiated… The extension and the systematic nature of the violations of the rights of the Filipino people committed by the governments of Mrs. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and with the support and full awareness of the government of George Walker Bush, qualify the same violations as crimes against humanity, with all the consequences for the persons who are responsible for them. Such violations must be stopped immediately…”

IADL bureau member Jan Fermon acted as member of the prosecution team in the Tribunal.

More information on the Second Session of the Permament Peoples Tribunal on the Philippines can be found at http://philippinetribunal.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=… .

The Tribunal’s verdict can be downloaded here below.

Download PDF: verdict permanent peoples tribunal.pdf (426.82 KB)

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