|
|
RESOLUTION
STOP THE OPPRESSIVE POLICY
AGAINST PROF. JOSE MARIA SISON
International Committee DEFEND
International Committee to DEFEND Filipino Progressives in Europe
______________________________________________________________________
Dear Friends,
We request all institutions, organizations and individuals who support the fight
of Prof. Jose Maria Sison for justice and for his fundamental rights to reproduce
and sign the resolution below and further request others within their reach to
do likewise.
This resolution is based on the call issued by us last 11 October 2009. You may
make your own version of the resolution as you deem appropriate.
We would appreciate it you could send to us signed copies of the resolution.
For the International Committee DEFEND
Ruth de Leon
Executive Director
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RESOLUTION
STOP THE OPPRESSIVE POLICY
AGAINST PROF. JOSE MARIA SISON
We admire Prof. Jose Maria Sison for steadfastly fighting for justice and for his
fundamental rights and we congratulate him 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.
We commend the ECFI judgment that has annulled the decisions and the
regulation of the Council of EU putting Prof. Sison on its terrorist blacklist.
Thus, it has removed him from that list and has unfrozen his small bank
account. But we must still be alert to the danger that 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.
The Council of EU cannot make a serious appeal on any question of law.
The ECFI has ruled on substantial issues. It has declared that Prof. Sison
has never been investigated, prosecuted or convicted for any specific act
of terrorism. It has concluded that the Dutch court decisions recognizing
him as a political refugee and those throwing the false charge of inciting
murder 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.
We condemn the use of such false charges 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. We likewise condemn the
further use of these false charges to put Prof. Sison on the terrorist
blacklist from 2002 onwards and to arrest and detain him in 2007.
We consider the Dutch government reprehensible for systematically
using 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.
We denounce the Council of EU and the Dutch government as inhuman
and unjust for engaging 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 fabricated
and 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 viciously obstructed and sabotaged the GRP-NDFP
peace negotiations.
We consider as shameless those governments that depict themselves as
protectors of human rights but have 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 all governments cease and desist from carrying out the
oppressive policy against Prof, Sison and that they must remove his name
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 are determined to wage a worldwide 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 organizations and other shapers of public
opinion; forums, seminars and publications on the case of Prof. Sison in the
context 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 with 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.
We call for the intensification of the campaign 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.
We shall further intensify the campaign if the Council of EU and the Dutch
government decide to undertake action to delay or deny the justice that
Prof. Sison deserves. We shall persevere in the campaign in any country
where he is vilified and unjustly listed as a terrorist. ###
|
|