In Search for Justice: Commemorating 60 years of the Geneva Conventions

PRESS RELEASE

12 AUGUST 2009

 The Philippine Coalition for the International Criminal Court (PCICC) joins the world today in commemorating the 60 years of the Geneva Conventions and International Humanitarian Law, a binding international treaty protecting the rights of civilians and combatants in situations of armed conflict.

 “As we mark the 60 years of the Geneva Conventions, we remember our own internal armed conflict that remains unresolved and the victims that have suffered the consequences in its wake.” Loretta Ann Rosales, PCICC Co-Chairperson said.

Rosales added, “The on-going war against the armed insurgent groups such as the National Democratic Front of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front resulted to thousands of internally displaced persons caught in the crossfire, many of them have been deprived of their to security and basic rights to food, education and health. Something must be done to end this situation…”

Internal armed conflict further exacerbate the incidences of extrajudicial executions and disappearances. Hundreds of victims of the said crimes have been recorded between 2001-2007 without a single conviction of alleged perpetrators.

In the PCICC’s research in 2008 entitled “Uphold the Sanctity of Life”, the study identified the difficulties in obtaining justice for victims. The study recommended observance of established international and domestic remedies and enactment of new laws including on command responsibility to help end the perpetration of crimes.

Professor Raul Pangalangan, PCICC Co-Chairperson noted, “The concept of command responsibility actually derives from the famous Yamashita case in the Philippines and is now an entrenched doctrine in international law. It is time for us to update our own laws to keep abreast of the highest standards in humanitarian protection..”

Bills on the IHL, internal displacement bill, criminalizing the enforced disappearances remains pending in the Philippine Congress. International treaties such as the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and the Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearances have yet to be ratified by the Philippine government.

“The Philippines has fallen short of these global standards. As we celebrate the 60^th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions, we call on the Arroyo government to adopt laws and treaties that will reaffirm the commitment to humanitarian protection that previous governments have sustained over the years.” Pangalangan added.

The Philippines government has ratified eleven international humanitarian law treaties among which includes the 1949 Geneva Conventions I-IV, 1977 Additional Protocol on Protection of Victims of Non-International Armed Conflicts and the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child and its 2000  Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict.