MANILA – An Australian missionary and a sultan from Marawi City have testified against President Duterte for human rights violations at the International People’s Tribunal (IPT) in Brussels, Belgium.
In a live video interview from the Philippines, Sister Patricia Fox said she was harassed by the Duterte administration by ordering the cancellation of her missionary visa.
Fox also narrated other instances of supposed widespread harassment of missionaries and social workers in the Philippines being done by the current administration.
For his part, Sultan Hamidullah Atar narrated the human right violations committed by the Duterte administration during the five-month siege of their Muslim city and the declaration of martial law in Mindanao.
“Because of the martial law and the suspension of the writ of habeas corpus in Mindanao, we could not do something about building peace in the region,” Atar told the panel.
“Anybody who intervenes will be tagged as terrorist or supporters of terrorist groups. When martial law was implemented, it was very, very horrible. We were silent and could not do anything,” he added.
Local organizations led by Bagong Alyansang Makabayan and Karapatan will raise a total of 21 cases or incidents before the tribunal, a statement released by the tribunal’s media unit stated.
“These cases can fall into these categories: violations on economic, social and cultural rights, violations on civil and political rights, and violations on the right to self-determination,” read part of the statement.
The indictment against Duterte cited violations of civil and political rights through extrajudicial killings, massacres, arbitrary arrests, torture, political persecution, and rights violations arising from the imposition of martial law in the region.
Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque branded the proceedings as “propaganda.”
“That’s not an official proceeding. That’s a propaganda proceeding,” Roque said in a statement. “That’s a sham proceeding. That is not an official proceeding. That’s for propaganda purposes.”
He added: “I don’t even know who that sultan is … I was a ninong (godfather) in a royal wedding recently and I think I met all the royal families, so to speak, although the Constitution prohibits the grant of nobility so, I don’t know who he is.”
The IPT is a global court convened by the European Association of Lawyers for Democracy and World Human Rights, Haldane Society of Socialist Lawyers, International Association of Democratic Lawyers, IBON International, and the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines./PN
