On Thursday 19 April, the European Parliament asked the government of the Philippines to put an immediate end to the extrajudicial executions carried out under the pretext of the "war against drugs", strongly the condemning the numerous extrajudicial murders by the armed forces and militia linked to the anti-drugs campaign.
In the resolution they adopted on the Philippines, MEPs from the EPP, S&D, ECR, ALDE, Greens/EFA and GUE/NGL groups call on the authorities of the country to conduct immediate impartial and real investigations into these extrajudicial murders and to prosecute and bring to justice all the perpetrators. They condemn all the cases of threats, harassment, intimidation and violence against those who seek to uncover allegations of extrajudicial executions and other violations of human rights in the Philippines. The MEPs state that the authorities of the Philippines must also remove human rights defenders from the list of terrorists, drop all charges against them and allow them to conduct their activities without harassment.
The European Parliament calls on the European Commission and External Action Service to use all instruments available, including the partnership and cooperation agreement, to persuade the Philippines to put an end to the extrajudicial murders linked to the anti-drugs campaign. If there is no substantial improvement, they should use the procedure that could lead to the temporary suppression of GSP+ preferences, the MEPs state.
The Parliament hails the initiative taken by the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate the allegations of crimes against humanity in the context of these executions, and it also asks the government to reverse its decision to leave the ICC. The EU and member states should support a UN investigation into the murders, the MEPs state.
With the deputy secretary general of the PES, Italian national Giacomo Filibeck – who was invited to attend the congress of opposition party Akbayan – having been arrested and expelled by the Philippine authorities a few days ago, the Parliament asks the country to put an end to the ban on entry of people who are perceived as being critical towards the policies of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)