International Coalition For Human Rights in the Philippines
In response to the recent International Peoples Tribunal on War Crimes in the Philippines, the international interfaith community calls for an immediate stop to the killings and addressing of the underlying causes of the armed conflict in the Philippines, paving the way to an enduring and just peace.
You can sign on to the interfaith unity statement at ichrp.net/interfaith. The text of the statement follows:
We, the undersigned representatives of religious organizations and religious leaders, urgently implore the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP), the international communities, and all relative stakeholders to immediately confront the deep-seated roots of the decades-long armed conflict, fostering a pathway towards a truly equitable and lasting peace, thus putting an end to the horrors of injustice, oppression, violence, and death.
We are appalled by ongoing violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). We condemn indiscriminate bombings of peasant communities, continued imprisonment and killings of protected National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) peace consultants, and the designation of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and New People’s Army (NPA) as terrorist organizations by the GRP.
The path towards just peace requires a negotiated political settlement with respect for, and upholding of, previously agreed-upon frameworks, such as those laid out in the Hague Joint Declaration, the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG), and the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL). Respecting the principles of justice, democracy and human rights, we pledge our solidarity to the Filipino people and people of faith as they mobilize to stop the current state of violence and rights violations, and focus on building the foundations for a just and lasting peace.
To achieve such a vision, we urgently make these calls to the GRP:
- Stop all violations of IHL and HR, giving full access to international and domestic human rights groups for investigation of reported violations.
- End red-tagging, harassment, and stigmatization of social movements, religious leaders, journalists, and HR defenders.
- Release all political prisoners, including the expedient release of detained NDFP peace consultants.
- Remove the designation as terrorists of the CPP, NPA, and all NDFP personalities.
- Repeal and rescind repressive laws and executive orders, like the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 (RA 11479), the Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act of 2012 (RA 10168), and Executive Order 70 of former President Rodrigo Duterte including the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict that it created.
In these calls, we amplify the voice of the Filipino people for a just and lasting peace.
This requires the dismantling of the structures and systems that impede access to fundamental rights, including the right to peace. It will require both sides to embrace an end to the armed conflict that goes far beyond the silencing of the guns. We urge all peoples committed to peace to join our call.
May we work together to bend the arc of history toward Justice: for the fruit of Justice will be Peace. #
