Stop the Use of False Allegations to Persecute Prof. Sison and Other Filipino Refugees

We, the undersigned, hereby petition the US, Dutch, Canadian and other governments to stop the practice of using false allegations of terrorism and other criminal offenses, which are fabricated and supplied by the Philippine government, in order to persecute Prof. Jose Maria Sison and other Filipinos on a global scale and violate their basic human rights and fundamental freedoms.

In the most notorious example of persecution, the US, Dutch and Philippine governments have concertedly and ceaselessly used false criminal allegations against Prof. Sison in order to block his admission as a refugee in The Netherlands despite the fact that he is a recognized political refugee under Article 1 A of the Refugee Convention and despite the fact that the aforesaid allegations have been dismissed by Philippine courts in 1986, 1992, 1994 and 2007.

The three governments have gone from bad to worse by collaborating in placing the name of Prof. Sison on the terrorist blacklist of the US, European Union and other governments since 2002. Then in 2007 the Philippine government connived with the Dutch government in arresting and detaining Prof. Sison on the false allegation of inciting murder and in raiding the NDF Information Office in Utrecht and the homes of six Filipino refugee families in The Netherlands.

The false charge of inciting murder against Prof. Sison has been dropped and his name has also been removed from the EU terrorist blacklist by the European Court of Justice. But on the basis of the false allegations and patent lies, the Dutch government continues to block Prof. Sison's application for permanent residence, deprive him of social benefits and violate his basic human rights and fundamental freedoms.

We urge the Dutch government and all the governments concerned to stop their malevolent and oppressive policy and practice of using false criminal allegations in order to persecute Prof. Sison and other Filipinos in The Netherlands.

The unjust and malicious position of the Dutch government is in line with the Philippine government under the Arroyo regime in using the aforesaid false allegations to justify abductions, arbitrary detention, torture and extrajudicial killings of social activists and progressive people in the Philippines.