International Peoples' Tribunal #1

Aug 5, 2015

International Peoples' Tribunal #1

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This is part of a series of audio recordings from the International Peoples’ Tribunal, a three-day event documenting human rights violations affecting the people of the Philippines.

In this recording, Lilia Devero, a farmer from Negros Island, the Philippines, tells the tribunal that paramilitaries abducted her husband, killed three members of her family, and burned down her home and those of family members. Her video testimony, recorded in the Philippines in her native tongue, was screened at the tribunal and translated into English.

The tribunal took place in Washington, DC, in July 2015.

More than 30 witnesses delivered testimonies to a panel of jurors that included social justice activists, members of the clergy, and academics.

The tribunal found the governments of the United States and the Philippines guilty of gross and systematic human rights violations.

Although the verdict is legally non-binding, the organizers hope that it has a political and moral force that will put pressure on these governments to end what has been called on atmosphere of impunity in the Philippines.