International appeal

[Fatima Lasay]

International appeal

REMOVE PROF. JOSE MARIA SISON (Philippines)
FROM THE EU’S LIST OF ‘TERRORISTS’

On 28 October 2002, the Council of the European Union added Jose Maria Sison
and the New People’s Army (NPA) of the Philippines to its list of ‘terrorist
’ persons, groups and entities. This decision was taken by written
procedure, without discussion or due process, without motivation whatsoever.
Measures to be taken against the organizations and individuals on the list
include “the freezing of funds and other financial assets or economic
resources, as well as police and judicial cooperation”.



With this decision, the European Union tows the line of the United States.
On 9 August 2002, the US State Department listed the Communist Party of the
Philippines (CPP) and the New People’s Army as ‘foreign terrorist
organizations’, asking other governments to do the same. On 12 August 2002,
the US Treasury Department listed Jose Maria Sison as a ‘terrorist’ whose
assets must be frozen.

Whenever the criminalization and the repression of national liberation
movements and other revolutionary organizations and individuals are
concerned, the European Union applies exactly the same unjust and
undemocratic standards and methods as the United States. Does the EU
uncritically follow US President Bush in his 'global war on terror'? Does
the EU believe that states, regimes, movements and individuals that reject
and resist the new colonialism of corporate control and military might are
'rogue states' and 'terrorists'?

The US is targeting Prof. Jose Maria Sison because he has been a leading
figure of the Philippine national democratic revolution for almost forty
years. He was one of the pioneers who revived the anti-imperialist movement
in the Philippines in the early 60s. He re-established the Communist Party
of the Philippines (CPP). For nine years, he was dictator Marcos’ most
prominent political prisoner.

We concur with Supreme Bishop Millamena of the Philippine Independent
Church, who said in a recent Dutch television program: “Prof. Sison is not a
terrorist. All he does is to fight with the poor for a life in dignity. That
is a legitimate struggle.”[1] Philippine Vice President Guingona added to
this by declaring that "one needs to make a distinction between a rebel who
is fighting because of hunger and perceived injustice, and a terrorist who
seeks to sow terror and hatred".[2]

Today, Prof. Jose Maria Sison is living in the Netherlands as a political
refugee under the protection of the Refugee Convention and the European
Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. He
is the chief political consultant of the National Democratic Front of the
Philippines (NDFP, the revolutionary alliance to which the CPP and the NPA
belong) in the peace negotiations with the Government of the Republic of the
Philippines. These negotiations have been facilitated by the Norwegian,
Dutch and Belgian governments, and the European Parliament has endorsed them
through several resolutions.



The CPP, the NPA and the NDFP have been leading an exemplary people’s
struggle for national liberation and democracy, against foreign domination,
exploitation and oppression. We reject the notion that the struggle for
national liberation, including armed struggle, is equated to terrorism. We
are concerned that legitimate political organizations and individuals,
including legitimate asylum seekers and recognized political refugees, may
become the target of unjustified repressive measures in the guise of
fighting terrorism.

The blacklisting of Prof. Sison and various revolutionary movements by the
European Union does not bode well for democracy in Europe. Groups and
individuals who express and concretize their solidarity with them may be the
next victims. The democratic rights of freedom of expression and of
association are at stake. The human value of solidarity is under threat.

International appeal

REMOVE PROFESSOR JOSE MARIA SISON (Philippines)

FROM THE EUROPEAN UNION’S LIST OF ‘TERRORISTS’

We join with Philippine Vice President Teofisto Guingona; Philippine
Congresspersons Satur Ocampo, Liza Maza, and Crispin Beltran; Supreme Bishop
Millamena of the Philippine Independent Church; Rev. Rebecca C. Tiston,
Chairperson of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines; James
Lafferty of the National Lawyers Guild; Don White of the Committee in
Solidarity for the People of El Salvador(CISPES); Preston Woods of
International ANSWER; Mo Nishida of Asians for Jericho and Mumia; Carlos
Montes of Freedom Road Socialist Organization; Rhonda Ramiro of the
Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines-SF; and other people around
the world who believe in international human rights, civil liberties, and
the rights of political refugees and asylees in demanding justice for
Professor Jose Maria Sison.

We demand from the European Union and its member states:

§         the repeal of the Council Common Position 2002/847/CFSP “on the
application of specific measures to combat terrorism”, and of the Council
Decision 2002/848/EC “on specific restrictive measures directed against
certain persons and entities with a view of combating terrorism”;

§         the removal of Jose Maria Sison from the list mentioned in the
Council Decision 2002/848/EC;

§         the full respect for the protection of Jose Maria Sison as a
refugee under the relevant international conventions;

§         the refusal of any possible demand for his extradition.


We demand from the European Union and its member states to refrain from any
legislation or action that may hinder the legitimate political activities of
organizations and individuals.

We support the procedure to be introduced by Prof. Sison, with the help of
an international team of human rights lawyers, before the Court of the
European Community in Luxembourg, against his inclusion on the EU’s list of
‘terrorists’.



We vow to extend Prof. Sison support for his basic necessities and for his
legal defense, even if this runs counter to the decision of the Council of
the European Union. To us, the values of justice and solidarity are more
important.




Name

Organization & Address

Phone # or e-mail address


Return completed petitions to: Initiative Committee-DEFEND, P.O. Box 15687,
1001 ND Amsterdam, the Netherlands, defenddemrights at yahoo.com


---------------------------------

[1] Factor: "Terreur of willekeur", IKON, 15 October 2002

[2] www.inq7.net, 2 November 2002




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