Dear friends,
While Pres. Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. is on a trip in Brussels to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations – European Union (Asean-EU) Commemorative Summit, we are sharing with you the statement of the Members of the European Parliament, dated December 8, 2022, on the perjury case and judicial harassment against national leaders of Karapatan, the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines and Gabriela, in relation to the upcoming promulgation of the case of perjury filed by former National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon, Jr. at the Metropolitan Trial Court Branch 139 of Quezon City in early 2023.
Karapatan Public Information Desk
*In-text and digital copy attached here.
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Dear friends,
While Pres. Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. is on a trip in Brussels to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations – European Union (Asean-EU) Commemorative Summit, we are sharing with you the statement of the Members of the European Parliament, dated December 8, 2022, on the perjury case and judicial harassment against national leaders of Karapatan, the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines and Gabriela, in relation to the upcoming promulgation of the case of perjury filed by former National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon, Jr. at the Metropolitan Trial Court Branch 139 of Quezon City in early 2023.
Karapatan Public Information Desk
*In-text and digital copy attached here.
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Brussels, 8 December 2022
Mr Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.
President of the Republic of the Philippines
Dr Clarita Carlos
National Security Adviser and Director General of the National Security Council
Mr Jesus Crispin C Remulla
Secretary, Department of Justice of the Philippines
Mr Enrique Manalo
Secretary, Department of Foreign Affairs
Atty. Richard Paat Palpal-Latoc
Chairperson, Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines
Excellencies,
We, the undersigned Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) respectfully write to you today to express our concern regarding the situation of ten human rights defenders and members of prominent human rights organisations Karapatan, Gabriela and the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines. We do this bearing in mind the important role rights defenders play in strengthening democracy and the Rule of Law from their different spheres of action, and taking into account the commitment that the international community, including the EU, has assumed to protect human rights defenders around the world.
We have learned that in early January 2023, a verdict will be handed down in a perjury case against the ten above-mentioned human rights defenders, for which they could face more than two years of imprisonment.
We understand this case originated in 2019 following a joint petition submitted by the three above-mentioned organisations before the Supreme Court of the Philippines seeking protection against threats, attacks and harassment amidst an increase of violence against human rights defenders in the country.
We have been made aware that this petition was denied by the Philippine Court of Appeal in June 2019, and that in July 2019 a perjury complaint was lodged against the ten human rights defenders. The complaint pointed that the ten defendants had allegedly committed an offence by stating that the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines was a registered non-governmental organisation at the Securities and Exchange Commission in the petition filed before the Supreme Court.
We would like to reiterate the European Parliament calls on the authorities of the Philippines that were adopted in its Resolution of February 17, 2022 which include to put an end to the harassment against human rights defenders in the Philippines, including red-tagging; and to drop all politically motivated charges against them.
In this context, and fully respecting the division of powers and therefore the sovereignty of justice, we urgently demand that the authorities of the Philippines ensure that the constitutionally and internationally enshrined standards regarding due process and fair trial are respected for the ten human rights defenders and members of Karapatan, Gabriela and the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines. This entails refraining from criminalising those who peacefully and legitimately defend human rights in the country, in accordance with the United Nation Declaration on Human Rights Defenders.
We reiterate our highest esteem for the Republic of the Philippines, and we send our kindest regards.
Sincerely,
Miguel Urbán Crespo, MEP the Left group
Malin Björk, MEP the Left group
Jose Gusmão, MEP the Left group
Stelios Kouloglou, MEP the Left group
Marisa Matias, MEP the Left group
Hannah Neumann, MEP the Greens/European Free Alliance
Idoia Villanueva, MEP the Left group