|
Manila: The United Nations Committee on Human Rights (UNCHR) has directed the Philippine government to pay damages to 9,539 victims of martial law under late strongman Ferdinand Marcos.
Lead counsel for martial law victims Robert Swift and his Filipino counterpart Rod Domingo Jr, said they filed a petition for default and entry of compensation award before the UNCHR on October 1 after the Philippine government failed to abide by the resolution of the UNCHR to compensate the victims on June 19, 2007.
The rights victims are demanding $413.5 million (Dh1.5 billion) compensation from the government for its failure to assist in the enforcement of a US court judgment won by the victims several years ago.
According to the UNCHR resolution, the Philippine government has a duty "to provide prompt resolution of their case on the enforcement of the US judgment in the Philippines".
"The government should be helping Filipino victims of human rights abuses, not erecting roadblocks to collection of their final judgment. The victims should not have to resort to the United Nations to obtain fundamental justice in their own country," said Domingo in a press briefing in suburban San Juan.
He said the case in the UNCHR stemmed from the enforcement petition filed on behalf of the victims before the Makati Regional Trial Court (RTC).
The victims wanted the Philippine courts to recognise a 1995 judgment rendered by the US District Court of Hawaii which awarded $2.35 billion to victims of human rights violations during Marcos' martial rule.
The US decision was declared final and executory by the US 9th Circuit Court of Appeals and the US Supreme Court in 1996 and 1997, but the Makati court dismissed the claim citing the filing fee that should be paid by the martial law victims should be $8.4 million.
|
