UN body to Phl - Stop death penalty revival

MANILA, Philippines - A monitoring body of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) has called on the Philippine government to junk the proposal to reinstate the death penalty in the country and abide by its international commitments.

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In a letter to Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Maria Teresa Almojuela, Human Rights Committee (HRC) chairman Yuji Iwasawa reminded the Philippines that it is a party to the Second Optional Protocol of the ICCPR that prohibits the imposition of capital punishment.

“The committee is currently in session in Geneva. It expresses grave concern at information it has received about the passage of a bill through the House of Congress to reintroduce death penalty, for drug related offenses, in the Philippines,” read the letter dated March 27.

“It understands that the Senate will consider this bill soon,” it added.

The letter was also addressed to Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III.

Iwasawa said he regrets the recent development in the Philippines and urged the government to desist from ultimately passing the measure.

“On behalf of the committee, I call on (the Philippines) to take its obligations under the ICCPR and the Second Optional Protocol seriously and refrain from taking retrogressive measures, which would only undermine human rights progress to date,” he said.

Last month, the House of Representatives passed on third reading the bill that imposes the death penalty on drug related offenses.

In an earlier statement, UN special rapporteurs Agnes Callamard and Nils Melzer expressed concern over the passage of the proposal at the House of Representatives.

“If approved, the bill will set the Philippines starkly against the global trend towards abolition and would entail a violation of the country’s obligations under international law,” they said.

Callamard is the special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, while Melzer is the special rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

They reminded the Philippines of its obligation under the second optional protocol of the ICCPR.

“Not only was the treaty ratified and widely advertised, but state authorities have also expressly confirmed on numerous occasions its validity and binding nature on the Philippines, without raising any concerns over the procedure through which it had been ratified,” the rapporteurs said.

Source : PhilStar

Duterte twits EU stand on death penalty

MANILA, Philippines - Noting that Europeans were just as guilty for the deaths of many during World War I, President Duterte said he would not hesitate to hang members of the European Union (EU) for pressuring the Philippines not to restore the death penalty.

He called EU members degrading names as he asked them to “stop interfering with us.”

“No one will tell you, and so I will tell you, you are all fools,” Duterte said in a briefing Thursday after arriving from his trips to Myanmar and Thailand. “I will just be happy to hang you if… you are putting us down. You are exerting pressure in every country which imposes the death penalty.”

He refused to be intimidated by the European Parliament, which has expressed alarm over 7,000 deaths  related to the war against illegal drugs.

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“The EU – they keep on harping on us. I could not understand this EU,” he said, noting how these countries played their roles in history by imposing the death penalty.

If they are concerned about 10,000 deaths, Duterte said he would not care even if the statistics increased to 50,000.

He described the concerns raised by the EU as a “lot of b***s***,” adding that some scalawags have grown bolder because of the protection they received from the EU and a number of non-government organizations.

“I am just nobody. But do not f*** with my people. Godd**n it. Not now,” Duterte stressed.

Source : PhilStar

Human rights violations not raised during Duterte, Suu Kyi meeting

Human rights abuses in the Philippines and Myanmar were not brought up during President Rodrigo Duterte's meeting with Myanmar’s de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi, Trade secretary Ramon Lopez said Tuesday.

"Those things were not discussed... It's not an all an issue to us," Lopez said in an interview on ANC.

"We focused on opportunities and reforms so these are all non issues," he added.

The meeting was highly anticipated, since Duterte was beset by allegations of human rights violations over war on drugs, while Suu Kyi, Myanmar’s state counselor, has been criticized for her silence on the violence in the Rakhine state between the minority Rohingya Muslims and Buddhist locals.

During his 2-day official visit, Duterte gave $300,000 (P15,000,000) to the Myanmar government for the humanitarian efforts in Rakhine.

Lopez said the alleged human rights violations and insurgencies in both countries have not discouraged the business sector from maintaining strong trade and economic ties between Manila and Naypyidaw.

"Myanmar is a fast growing market... They are establishing new urban areas... We have Filipino companies expanding operations there for example Oishi, Unilab, URC, and Cherry Mobile," he said.

Source : ABS-CBN

UN experts, EU Parliament urge Philippines to rethink death penalty

Arrested drug suspects are cuffed with plastic tie cables following a raid by agents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) at an informal settlers' community inside the sprawling compound of a public cemetery Thursday, March 16, 2017 in suburban Quezon city northeast of Manila, Philippines. The death penalty bill approved by the House of Representatives would reintroduce capital punishment for drug-related offenses. AP Photo/Bullit Marquez

MANILA, Philippines — United Nations special rapporteurs and the European Parliament appealed to the Philippine Congress to prevent the looming comeback of death penalty in the country.

The twin blows to President Rodrigo Duterte’s priority bill came Thursday after a statement from UN experts and a resolution approved by the European Parliament concerning drug killings, political persecution of Sen. Leila de Lima and the death penalty bill in the country.

READ: US raises 'significant concerns' over impunity, sharp rise in EJKs in Philippines

They noted that approval of death penalty would be in violation of Philippine obligations under international law. As a party to the Second Optional Protocol of the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights, the Philippines is committed to abolish death penalty.

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The reinstatement of capital punishment would also set the Philippines “starkly against the global trend towards abolition,” UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions Agnes Callamard and special rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment Nils Melzer said.

“By now, more than two-thirds of all countries in the world, that’s 141 States, have abolished the death penalty in law or in practice,” they explained.

The Philippines was the first country in the region to abolish death penalty in 2007. Reinstating it would “constitute a departure from the country’s regional leadership and global position as advocate of the abolition of the death penalty in international forums,” the UN statement read.

Last March 7, the House of Representatives has approved the bill, which would reintroduce capital punishment for drug-related offenses. Deliberations at the Senate, meanwhile, hit a snag after issues on the country’s international treaty obligations and serious repercussions on global trade deals were raised.

Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights Chairman Sen. Richard Gordon ordered the hearings on the bill suspended until the Department of Justice comes up with a legal justification that the revival of death penalty would not violate any international treaty.

The European Parliament called on the Philippines to immediately halt proceedings to reinstate capital punishment.

Lowering of age of criminal liability slammed

The European Parliament tagged death penalty as a “cruel and inhuman” punishment, adding that it is not an effective deterrent to criminal behavior.

UN experts agreed with this, saying that “the use of the death penalty negates the inherent dignity of human beings, causes severe mental and physical pain or suffering and constitutes a violation of the prohibition of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.”

The European Parliament also called on the Philippine government not to lower the minimum age for criminal responsibility. The Duterte administration is mulling lowering the age of criminal liability from 15 to 9 years—a move that advocates decried as anti-children's rights. 

Execution over drug offenses violates international law

Callamard and Melzer said imposing death penalty for drug-related offenses as well as crimes committed under the influence of dangerous drugs is “clearly not permitted under international law.”

“Even States retaining the death penalty may impose it only for the most serious crimes, that is, those involving intentional killing. Drug-related offenses do not meet this threshold,” they said. 

“[T]he lack of any persuasive evidence that the death penalty contributes more than any other punishment to reducing criminality or drug-trafficking. Therefore, reintroducing this punishment as a deterrent for drug-trafficking is as illegal as it is futile.”

Source : http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2017/03/17/1682042/un-experts-eu-parliament-urge-philippines-rethink-death-penalty

Alvarez defends removal of anti-death penalty solons from House leadership

House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez on Thursday defended his order to remove anti-death penalty lawmakers from key positions in the House of Representatives after several members expressed dismay over the apparent arm-twisting in the legislative body.

"That is a leadership-sponsored bill, and if you are part of the leadership, I think kailangan naman ay sumuporta ka doon sa liderato. Ngayon kung ayaw mo sumuporta, siyempre maghahanap tayo ng mga tao na talagang susuporta sa liderato," Alvarez said in a statement.

"Hindi po tayo namimilit kung ano po ang gustong iboto ng bawat miyembro. Nirespeto ko po yung kanilang desisyon, at sana respetuhin din naman yung policy na aking inilatag," Alvarez added.

(We are not forcing anyone to vote against their will. I respect their decisions, and I hope they will also respect the policy that I have laid out.)

Deputy Speaker for Central Luzon Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and 11 House committee heads who voted against Alvarez's pet measure that reinstates capital punishment were stripped off their posts before the lower chamber went on a session break Wednesday evening.

The ouster of the 12 lawmakers from the House leadership is only the tip of the iceberg as more congressmen will be taken off key positions once Congressional sessions resume in May, Alvarez said.

"Yung mga hindi pa po na-declare na vacant na mga positions, iyun po ay itutuloy natin pagbalik po namin sa darating na May," he said.

(We will continue the declaration of vacant positions when we resume sessions in May.)

The House speaker said political parties that belong to the majority coalition will be given the leeway to choose replacements for the vacated posts.

"So far, only Basic Education Committee chairman Sorsogon Rep. Evelina Escudero has been replaced after the Nationalist People's Coalition picked its definite nominee Cebu Rep. Ramon Durano," Alvarez said.

The House leadership is still in the process of evaluating the list of replacements submitted by other political parties to determine suitable candidates, Alvarez said.

Both the Liberal Party and the Makabayan bloc, whose members were among those removed from key posts, earlier said that they have yet to decide if they will break away from the House's supermajority.

Source : http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/03/16/17/alvarez-defends-removal-of-anti-death-penalty-solons-from-house-leadership