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STOP THE OPPRESSIVE POLICY
AGAINST PROF. JOSE MARIA SISON
International Committee DEFEND
International Committee to DEFEND Filipino Progressives in Europe
______________________________________________________________________
11 October 2009
STOP THE OPPRESSIVE POLICY
AGAINST PROF. JOSE MARIA SISON
By the International Committee DEFEND
We congratulate Prof. Jose Maria Sison for winning last 30 September 2009
the favorable judgment of the European Court of First Instance (ECFI) in his
complaint against the Council of the European Union (EU) for having unjustly
put him on the terrorist blacklist since 28 October 2002.
The ECFI judgment has annulled the decisions and the regulation of the
Council of EU putting him on its terrorist blacklist. Thus, it has removed him
from that list and has unfrozen his small bank account. But the Council of
the EU might still decide to make a frivolous appeal, if only to delay and
deny the justice that Prof. Sison deserves.
It is inconceivable how the Council of EU can make a serious appeal on any
question of law in view of the fact that the ECFI judgment has ruled on
substantial issues and has declared that Prof. Sison has never been investigated,
prosecuted or convicted for any specific act of terrorism and that the Dutch
court decisions on his asylum case and on the false murder charge cannot
be used as basis for blacklisting him as a terrorist.
We demand that the Council of EU and the Dutch government as well as
the Philippine and US governments stop their oppressive policy against Prof.
Sison. This oppressive policy is maliciously based on false charges of terrorism
and common crimes supplied by the Philippine government under the
prodding of the US government.
Such false charges have been used by the Dutch government to prevent
Prof, Sison from legal admission as refugee and from residence in The
Netherlands despite Dutch court rulings that he is a political refugee under
Article 1 A of the Refugee Convention. These false charges have been
further used to put him on the terrorist blacklist from 2002 onwards and
to arrest and detain him in 2007.
The Dutch government has systematically used the terrorist blacklisting of
Prof. Sison to oppress him in the following ways: the freezing of his small
bank account, termination of his social benefits (living allowance, housing,
health insurance and old age pension), banning him from rendering professional
services with remuneration, denying him legal residence, curtailing his right
to travel, demonizing him and inciting public hatred against him, endangering
his life and limb and attacking his dignity and honor.
The Council of the EU and the Dutch government has engaged in the
systematic and gross violation of the human rights of Prof. Sison. Like
the US and other rabid pro-US countries, they have relied on the false
charges of terrorism and common crimes supplied by the Philippine
government. They have impeded the Filipino people's demand for
respect of human rights and for a just and lasting peace. Through
the use of the terrorist blacklisting and false charges of common crimes,
they have practically obstructed and sabotaged the GRP-NDFP peace
negotiations.
It is a shame that governments declaring themselves as exponents of
human rights have actually emboldened and collaborated with the
Philippine government in the use of false charges to justify the abduction,
torture and extrajudicial killing of hundreds of social activists (as carried
in the reports of UN Special Rapporteur Philip Alston and human rights
organizations), the arrest and indefinite detention of political opponents
of the Arroyo regime and the oppression of Prof. Sison and the NDFP
panelists, consultants and staffers abroad.
We demand that, concomitant with stopping the oppressive policy
against Prof. Sison, all governments concerned must remove him
from any terrorist blacklist and must respect his human rights. He
must be able to render professional services with remuneration. His
social benefits must be restored. He must be able to make financial
transactions. He must have residence permit. He must be able to
travel freely. He must be able to claim moral and material damages
for all the years that he has been oppressed.
We must wage a campaign to stop the oppressive policy against
Prof. Sison, demand respect for his human rights and end the
terrorist label on him. This campaign should include meetings
of the lawyers and supporters of Prof. Sison with parliamentarians
and other policy-makers and with the mass media, people's
organisations and other shapers of public opinion; forums,
seminars and publications on the case of Prof. Sison in the
contest of defending human rights; circulation, signing and
presentation of petitions; and mass actions before the pertinent
offices of certain governments.
We urge all institutions, organizations and individuals concerned
with human rights and the plight of Prof. Sison to join the campaign
and contribute whatever they can to make the campaign successful.
We hope that the campaign will be successful so that Prof. Sison
can enjoy fully his civil and political rights, practise his profession
to earn a living and devote more time to the performance of his
duties and responsibilities as chief political consultant of the NDFP
negotiating panel in the GRP-NDFP peace negotiations and as
chairperson of the International League of Peoples' Struggle.
Please intensify your participation in the campaign and undertake
all kinds of activities that you can within the period, from now up
to Human Rights Day, 10 December 2009 because this is the period
when the Council of EU decide to appeal or not the ECFI judgment
in favor of Prof. Sison. The campaign will be further intensified if
the Council of EU and the Dutch government decide to undertake
action to delay or deny the justice that Prof. Sison deserves.
Please inform us of your plans and activities through Ruth de Leon,
executive director of International Committee DEFEND. Thank you.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.defendsison.be
Telephone: 00-31-30-8895306
Fax: 00-31-847589930
Address: Amsterdamsestraatweg 50, 3513 AG Utrecht, The Netherlands
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