AJLPP-USA-- THE RECENT JUDGMENT OF EUROPEAN COURT OF JUSTICE: A BIG BLOW TO THE CAUSE OF JUST AND LASTING PEACE IN THE PHILIPPINES

Los Angeles—The Alliance for the Just and Lasting Peace in the Philippines (AJLPP)-USA vehemently condemn the recent judgment by the European Court of Justice that dismissed the appeal of Prof. Jose Maria Sison for access to the secret documents used by the Council of the European Union. By putting Prof. Sison in the so-called terrorist list and imposing on him punitive sanctions, the European Court dealt the peace process in the Philippines, a very heavy blow.

Mario Santos, AJLPP National Coordinator said: “as a result, like what happened during the Nazi period, the ECJ ruling becomes a collective punishment for the Filipino people who desired peace. Because of the ruling, a great stumbling block has been placed on the peace process and legalized the US-Arroyo regime's sabotage of the peace negotiations that has been stalled for the last five years.

Prof. Sison is the peace consultant of the NDFP panel that negotaites with the government. With the labelling and the harassments by the U.S, E.U and the Philippine government, the peace negotiations is on a stand still.

They have collectively punished the Filipino people who desired peace and justice. Like the inquisitorial measures of the Spanish rule that victimized the people of Europe during the Holy Roman Empire, the EU ruling legalizes punitive measures are imposed on progressive Filipinos on exile.

Santos said: “these are deceptively called temporary restrictive measures but they have already run for more than four years since October 28, 2002 and include preventing Sison, from taking employment and legal residence and depriving him of the bare social benefits for living allowance, health insurance and housing.

Since 2002, as a result of the PATRIOT Act in the US, Sison and other progressive Filipinos abroad has been blacklisted and being harassed as a “terrorist” and made to suffer punitive sanctions on the basis of the false charge of terrorism.

This is in line with the Bush policy of promoting state repression and carrying out wars of aggression in the name of a permanent and preemptive “global war on terror”.

By sabotaging the peace negotiations and waged a counter-insurgency war, the US and EU have laid the ground for the legal infrastructure for fascism Europe and other parts of the world. “

AJLPP also vehemently condemned the passage of the Anti-Terrorism Bill in the Philippine Senate and the political killings of more than 830 progressive Filipinos as well as the disappearances of more than 200 others in the Philippines are enough measures of the intensity of the US War on “Terror” essentially an anti-people fascist campaign of intimidation and repression perpetrated by the US-Arroyo regime.”

AJLPP also reiterated its call to resume the Peace Talks No! Stop Political Killings and Repression in the Philippines!

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