The Philippines: CA junks arrest warrant in Cavite case vs. lawyer who sued Duterte before ICC

April 13, 2019

The Court of Appeals (CA) has junked the arrest warrant issued against Jude Sabio, the lawyer who filed a communication with the International Criminal Court (ICC) against President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs.

In a 15-page decision dated March 29, a copy of which ABS-CBN News obtained Saturday, the CA 9th Division ruled that there was no basis for a Trece Martires City, Cavite judge to order Sabio’s arrest over his non-compliance with the Mandatory Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) program for lawyers.

All Philippine lawyers are required to take MCLE classes every 3 years.

CA Associate Justice Emily Aliño-Geluz, as then Trece Martires City Regional Trial Court Branch 23 Judge, had issued an arrest warrant against Sabio on March 7, 2018 after Sabio failed to pay the P2,000 fine which the judge imposed as his MCLE compliance certificate had expired.

Sabio asked the judge to reconsider her order but she ignored the motion and instead issued another warrant of arrest in place of the previous unserved one in April 2018.

The President appointed her as CA associate justice on April 30, 2018 shortly after she issued the arrest warrants against Sabio.

In its ruling, the appellate court said Geluz gravely abused her discretion when she imposed the penalty of a fine with imprisonment and later on issued the warrants of arrest against Sabio.

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https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/04/13/19/ca-junks-arrest-warrant-in-cavite-case-vs-lawyer-who-sued-duterte-before-icc?fbclid=IwAR26md0AZOCYkwuf4YSnk1U-r735JG86NzuD5TGhCvTsIifjF-GzWQ4cMow

https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2018/05/05/608440198/philippine-lawyer-faces-death-threats-after-filing-case-at-the-hague-against-dut

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-philippines-drugs-icct/threatened-and-vilified-but-philippine-lawyer-says-he-wants-death-squad-president-in-court-idUSKCN1G203C

CA junks arrest warrant in Cavite case vs. lawyer who sued Duterte before ICC

https://www.icc-cpi.int/

CA junks arrest warrant vs Jude Sabio, the lawyer who filed communication with Intl Criminal Court against Pres Duterte's war on drugs. A Trece Martires City judge had ordered Sabio arrested for not paying P2k-fine over non-compliance with MCLE req't for lawyers. | @mikenavallo pic.twitter.com/60qT24a9fr

— ABS-CBN News (@ABSCBNNews) April 13, 2019

Malacañang has denied the claim of lawyer Jude Sabio who filed a communication case before the International Criminal Court against President Rodrigo Duterte that he was being harassed. https://t.co/CDBB86q2ll

— Panay News (@panaynewsdotnet) April 2, 2019

Kudos to the Court of Appeals for upholding the law, not allowing it to be weaponized for persecuting Jude Sabio! https://t.co/VD1aKUQ42G

— Manny Valdehuesa (@valdehuesagmail) April 13, 2019

The Philippines: Duterte critic appeals tag as nuisance Senate bet

November 13, 2018

Lawyer Jude Sabio tells the Comelec it won’t look good if ‘a legal archenemy of President Duterte’ is declared a nuisance senatorial candidate

Senatorial hopeful Jude Josue Sabio, the lawyer who filed a complaint against President Rodrigo Duterte before the International Criminal Court (ICC), appealed the petition of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) law department to declare him a nuisance candidate.

“It will not look good in the eyes of the nation and the world that I, as the first Filipino lawyer internationally and nationally known to have lodged the first historic complaint in the ICC against President Duterte and his allies, is being treated as a nuisance,” Sabio said in an 18-page comment obtained by Rappler.

“It certainly will not sit well with the country and the world that a legal archenemy of President Duterte is unceremoniously being deprived of meaningful participation in the electoral process,” he added.

Sabio sent this comment to the Comelec via courier late Tuesday afternoon, November 13, and he expects this to reach the poll body on Wednesday, November 14.

Sabio is among 95 personalities – including former Consultative Committee spokesperson Conrado “Ding” Generoso and pro-life advocate Rizalito David – whom the Comelec law department wants the poll body to classify as nuisance senatorial bets. Comelec commissioners will have the final say after subjecting them to hearings and evaluating their cases.

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Sabio on April 24 filed a complaint against Duterte before the ICC for alleged “mass murder” in the Philippines. He cited the murder of at least 1,400 people by the alleged Davao Death Squad when Duterte was Davao City mayor, and the killing of thousands more during Duterte’s presidency.

https://www.rappler.com/nation/politics/elections/2019/216612-jude-sabio-appeals-nuisance-senate-bet-tag-comelec?fbclid=IwAR3r3IJnjjxq7lYgzhOg4SnHlYv3rZ_FWUTQQT1LWfw2GKLe8cPahxdwD9Y

https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2018/05/05/608440198/philippine-lawyer-faces-death-threats-after-filing-case-at-the-hague-against-dut

https://www.rappler.com/nation/196263-jude-sabio-fear-for-life-duterte-icc-probe

https://www.rappler.com/nation/politics/elections/2019/215990-list-newsmakers-who-could-be-declared-as-senatorial-nuisance-bets

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/671716/duterte-do-not-drag-me-to-icc-magwala-ako-roon/story/

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/673689/hrw-wants-independent-probe-over-police-exec-s-claim-cops-hired-as-drug-lords-hitmen/story/

https://www.icc-cpi.int/philippines

https://www.icc-cpi.int/

The Philippines: No winner in ICC-Duterte tussle

June 29, 2018

The International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Fatou Bensouda announced in February the start of a preliminary investigation into a complaint by a Filipino lawyer and two lawmakers which accuse President…

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Following the withdrawal, Mr Duterte threatened to arrest the prosecutor if she conducts an investigation in his country arguing that the Philippines is no longer an ICC member, and therefore, the court…

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https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/1494394/no-winner-in-icc-duterte-tussle

https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/fact-check/204263-no-decision-yet-international-criminal-court-duterte

http://cnnphilippines.com/news/2018/06/05/ICC-international-criminal-court-supreme-court.html

http://manilastandardtoday.com/news/top-stories/268027/group-bucks-duterte-move-on-icc.html

https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/1747820/Manila/Local-News/Group-seeks-to-void-ICC-withdrawal

https://jip.ph/philippines-withdrawal-from-icc-faces-new-challenge-at-sc/

https://www.icc-cpi.int/

https://philippinenmagazin.de/2018/06/26/serie-wie-duterte-supporter-die-oeffentlichkeit-mit-falschen-nachrichten-manipulieren-der-internationale-strafgerichtshof/ (DEUTSCH)

Colombia/UK: Colombian human rights lawyer Luis Guillermo Perez visits the UK

May 27, 2018

In April 2018 Colombian human rights lawyer Luis Guillermo Pérez visited Europe in order to submit evidence to the International Criminal Court (ICC) on the killings on human rights defenders in Colombia. 2017, the first full year since the signing of the peace agreement in Colombia, was the deadliest on record for human rights defenders, with 121 killed, compared with 60 killings in 2016. The communication argues that the ICC should open an investigation because the Colombian government is failing to investigate the crimes properly and constitute a crime against humanity. In London Luis Guillermo was able to present the ICC communication to different sectors (including members of the Alliance for lawyers at Risk, FCO officials and parliamentarians) and to raise awareness of the situation for human rights defenders in Colombia.

“Colombia is one of the most dangerous countries for human rights defenders. Violent repression of trade unionists, land rights and environmental activists, community leaders,  lawyers, LGBTI activists, journalists and others who stand up for rights is widespread and systematic.” – ICC Dossier from CAJAR and The ECCHR.

Luis Guillermo Pérez Casas is a lawyer with the Colectivo de Abogados José Alvear Restrepo (CAJAR), based in Bogotá. For over 30 years, the work of CAJAR’s lawyers has resulted in landmark decisions that have improved access to justice for many victims of the country’s long-running conflict. They have faced many serious threats for this work, including the assassination of their founder Eduardo Umaña Mendoza and being publically identified as “military targets” by death squads. PBI has accompanied the collective since 1995; monitoring the security situation of the lawyers and thanks to PBI’s international networks, members of CCAJAR have been able to raise their security concerns in front of a wide range of stakeholders.

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https://peacebrigades.org.uk/news/2018-05-21/colombian-human-rights-lawyer-luis-guillermo-perez-visits-uk

https://www.lrwc.org/colombia-end-violence-against-human-rights-defenders-and-social-leaders-joint-letter/

https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2018/may/01/2017-deadliest-year-on-record-colombian-human-rights-defenders

https://peacebrigades.org.uk/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lu%C3%ADs_Guillermo_Per%C3%A9z

https://www.elespectador.com/noticias/judicial/piden-la-cpi-investigar-crimenes-de-defensores-de-derechos-humanos-articulo-754791 (ESPANOL)

https://www.colectivodeabogados.org/ (ESPANOL)

The Philippines: Lawyer behind ICC communication: I fear I’ll be killed anytime

May 7, 2018

The lawyer who sent an information to the International Criminal Court regarding the Philippines’ bloody war on drugs said that he does not go out often because of his constant fear for his life.

Jude Sabio said he has received numerous death threats since ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda announced in February that her office has started a preliminary examination into President Rodrigo Duterte’s anti-narcotics campaign based on the communications he had filed in April 2017.

“Nowadays I do not go out so much in public places. Specifically, I’m afraid that I’ll be killed at any time. Somebody will be just coming and pump a bullet into my head,” Sabio said in an interview with the National Public Radio, a Washington, DC-based media organization, posted May 5.

Sabio, who is also the legal counsel of self-confessed hitman Edgar Matobato, said he has been living in Manila for more than a year because he would feel more vulnerable should he return to his home in Mindanao.

He noted that he is now being viewed as the “foremost villain in the country” for accusing Duterte and other senior government officials of crimes against humanity but the 51-year-old lawyer has no regrets.

“I’m doing this because this is the right thing to do. And the only way that we can achieve justice against the president is to bring this to the ICC because there is no way that this can be done in the country right now,” Sabio told NPR.

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https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2018/05/07/1812978/lawyer-behind-icc-communication-i-fear-ill-be-killed-anytime

https://www.icc-cpi.int/

The Philippines/ICC: Philippine Lawyer Faces Death Threats After Filing Case At The Hague Against Duterte

May 5, 2018

Philippine lawyer Jude Sabio doesn’t get out much these days — not after he accused his country’s enormously popular president, Rodrigo Duterte, of crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

“Nowadays I do not go out so much in public places,” Sabio says. “Specifically, I’m afraid that I’ll be killed at any time. Somebody will be just coming and pump a bullet into my head.”

The stocky Sabio, 51, says he’s received numerous death threats since he filed a complaint against Duterte with the ICC in April 2017. Individuals are able to bring crimes to the attention of the ICC’s prosecutor, who can then choose to investigate.

Even more threats have come since ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda announced in February that her office had started a “preliminary examination” based on Sabio’s complaint.

“I would say that I am being viewed now as the foremost villain in the country because I had the guts and the courage to file a case against the president in the ICC,” Sabio says.

Sabio is living in Manila and has for more than a year. He can’t go back to his home in Mindanao, he says, because he’s afraid he’ll be more vulnerable there.

…

https://newsstand.google.com/articles/CAIiEKiG9xqE53Jx-HSrcmpb4ikqFggEKg4IACoGCAow9vBNMK3UCDCvpUk

https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2018/05/05/608440198/philippine-lawyer-faces-death-threats-after-filing-case-at-the-hague-against-dut

https://www.npr.org/2018/05/03/608291977/meet-the-man-trying-to-hold-philippines-president-rodrigo-duterte-accountable

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2018/04/07/1803436/aguirres-resignation-wont-free-him-iccs-radar

https://www.hongkongfp.com/2018/04/14/good-riddance-rodrigo-duterte-president-makes-donald-trump-look-good/

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/650618/roque-icc-members-can-visit-phl-as-tourists/story/

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/1576808/Cebu/Local-News/What-if-ICC-officers-get-caught-in-PH

https://www.icc-cpi.int/

https://philippinenmagazin.de/2018/04/13/duterte-droht-ermittlern-des-internationalen-strafgerichtshofs/ (DEUTSCH)

The Philippines: Release of Senator Leila de Lima urged on the one-year anniversary of her detention

February 23, 2018

The Observatory condemns Philippine Senator Leila de Lima’s arbitrary and politically motivated detention, and calls for her immediate release and for all charges against her to be dropped. Tomorrow will mark one year since Senator de Lima, a critic of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, was detained on unsubstantiated drug charges.

“Senator de Lima’s arbitrary detention is aimed at silencing her and intimidating other lawmakers and government critics from speaking out against the brutal killings that have been carried out as part of President Duterte’s ‘war on drugs.’ She should be immediately released and all charges against her dropped,” said FIDH Secretary-General Debbie Stothard.

On February 24, 2017, Ms. Leila de Lima handed herself in to police, a week after the Department of Justice filed three charges against her under the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act, and a day after a Manila court issued a warrant for her arrest. The charges were related to de Lima’s alleged involvement in a drug trafficking ring inside the New Bilibid Prison in Metro Manila’s Muntinlupa City, while she was Department of Justice Secretary. If convicted, de Lima could face between 12 years and life in prison.

De Lima has been a staunch critic of President Duterte’s approach to combatting crimes and drug trafficking. In 2009, as Chair of the Philippine Commission on Human Rights (CHR), she initiated a probe into Duterte’s involvement in the ‘Davao Death Squad’ during his time as mayor of Davao City. In August 2016, as Chair of the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights, de Lima convened hearings on the hundreds of killings that had been carried out as part of President Duterte’s ‘war on drugs.’ On September 19, 2016, a group of Senators voted to replace de Lima as Chair of the Committee, effectively shutting down the hearings.

President Duterte has repeatedly targeted de Lima. Prior to her imprisonment, he had pledged to “destroy her in public.” He also made personal attacks against her, accusing de Lima of “immorality” for allegedly having had an affair with her driver.

…

http://www.omct.org/human-rights-defenders/urgent-interventions/philippines/2018/02/d24737/

https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2018/02/philippines-detained-duterte-critic-must-be-freed-immediately/

https://www.rappler.com/nation/196703-amnesty-international-release-leila-de-lima

https://news.mb.com.ph/2018/02/23/roque-urges-minority-senators-not-to-politicize-courts/

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/manila/local-news/2018/02/22/palace-taunts-de-lima-happy-1st-anniversary-detention-590243

http://thestandard.com.ph/news/national/259477/de-lima-supporters-hold-protest.html

https://www.rappler.com/nation/195580-de-lima-icc-the-hague-act-urgency-killings

http://opinion.inquirer.net/111281/independent-vulnerable-judiciary

https://www.facebook.com/notes/leila-de-lima/de-lima-among-political-prisoners-featured-at-10th-geneva-summit/2124403167790227/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leila_de_Lima

https://www.amnesty.org/fr/latest/news/2018/02/philippines-detained-duterte-critic-must-be-freed-immediately/ (FRANCAIS)

http://www.rfi.fr/asie-pacifique/20180224-philippines-leila-lima-prisonniere-opinion-amnesty-drogue-duterte (FRANCAIS)

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leila_de_Lima (FRANCAIS)

#FreeLeilaNow #StandUp4HumanRights #WorldIsWatching#StopPoliticalPersecution