PRESS RELEASE
Information Bureau
Communist Party of the Philippines

CPP condemns US-Philippines ICC immunity agreement
June 3, 2003

The Communist Party of the Philippines condemned today the agreement entered into by the Arroyo government with the United States guaranteeing US nationals immunity from prosecution by the International Criminal Court.

"This immunity agreement is another despicable act of shameless kowtowing by Arroyo's to every wish and whim of her imperialist master, in sheer disregard and violation of international treaties and of the wish of the majority of nations," said Gregorio "Ka Roger" Rosal, spokesman of the CPP.

More than 138 countries have been signatories to the 1998 Rome Statue for the setting up of the International Criminal Court to try crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and crimes of aggression committed by foreign troops. The Philippines became a signatory to it in December 2000. The US which has its forces scattered throughout the globe, unsigned from the treaty in May 2002 and since then has campaigned heavily to undermine the treaty and pressure other countries to unsign or not ratify it.

Rosal stated that "This collusion to deoperationalize the application of the treaty in the Philippines is definitely tied to the objective of further heightening and widening the scope of US military intervention in the Philippines."

Rosal explained that this agreement "exempts US troops and operatives in the Philippines from criminal culpabilities for their war crimes and further emboldens them to aggression without restriction and without fear of any international law."

Rosal said that the immunity agreement is a "virtual act of surrender of the Philippines' sovereign right to seek redress in an international court for criminal acts committed by US troops in the Philippines."

"Expect American troops to act more brazenly and brusquely with this immunity agreement, assured as they are now by the Philippine government itself that they would not be made liable for whatever acts they may commit in the Philippines," Rosal added.

Rosal said that US uniformed troops and secret operatives in the Philippines have a long history of war crimes and atrocities in the Philippines, especially at the time of the Filipino-American War in the early 1900s and when US bases were still existing in the country.

Rosal recalled the latest controversial case of a GI named Reggie Lane who shot an innocent and unarmed Moro civilian named Buyong-buyong Isnijal in Tuburan, Basilan on July 2002. Lane, was with two other US soldiers and other Filipino troopers who were hunting down supposed Abu Sayyaf bandits among the local communities when they forcefully barged into the Usnijal household in the wee hours of the morning and started brutalizing them.

The US and Filipino troopers were then part of the Balikatan 02-1 military exercises in Basilan. "The case never prospered," Rosal said, "because he was simply whisked away by the US."

Reference:
Anne Buenaventura
Media Officer
Cellphone Number: +63910-240-3553



Back to top