Palace hits ‘propaganda proceedings’ by the Left vs. Duterte

Malacañang on Tuesday dismissed as propaganda the proceedings at the International Peoples’ Tribunal where President Rodrigo Duterte is accused of crimes against the Moro and Filipino people.

Sultan Hamidullah Atar of Marawi City will testify in the IPT this week in Brussels, Belgium about the human rights violations allegedly committed by the Duterte administration to the Meranaws during the Marawi City siege, and the declaration of martial law in Mindanao, according to rights group Karapatan.

Suara Bangasamoro chairperson Jerome Succor Aba will testify on the charges regarding religious discrimination, arbitrary detention and torture allegedly committed against him by agents of the United States Department of Homeland Security and US Customs and Border Patrol on April 17 to 19, 2018.

Aba said they will also bring up the killing of seven Tausug youths allegedly by the military on September 14 in Patikul, Sulu.

But presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said the government is not concerned about the charges brought before a "sham proceeding."

"That’s propaganda proceedings by the Left," Roque told reporters.

The IPT is convened by the European Association of Lawyers for Democracy and World Human Rights, Haldane Society of Socialist Lawyers, International Association of Democratic Lawyers, IBON International and the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines.

"The global court, composed of leading public figures of recognized achievements and high moral stature, will come up with a verdict based on a thorough and fair assessment of evidences, and in line with the applicable legal standards," Karapatan said.

Karapatan also said the verdict from the IPT will be submitted to the International Criminal Court, the European Parliament, and the United Nations Human Rights Council "as a case against the US-Duterte regime."

Duterte is currently facing two communications before the ICC.

The communications filed separately by lawyer Jude Sabio and activists and alleged victims of the drug war call for Duterte's indictment for alleged thousands of extrajudicial killings in the course of the campaign.

Acting on the first communication, the ICC prosecutor in February opened a preliminary examination to determine whether it has jurisdiction over the matter and a full-blown investigation would serve the interests of justice and of the victims.

Duterte responded by withdrawing the Philippines' membership in the ICC in March, citing the "baseless, unprecedented and outrageous" attacks against him and his administration, the alleged attempt of the ICC prosecutor to place him under its jurisdiction and lack of publication of the Rome Statute.

The Rome Statute is the treaty that established the ICC. — RSJ, GMA News