*Swiss parliamentarians question Beltran's imprisonment

Swiss parliamentarians have asked the Federal Council to consider diplomatic action towards the Arroyo administration's continuing imprisonment of Anakpawis (Toiling Masses) Representative Crispin Beltran.

Swiss MP Liliane Maury Pasquier, in her June 22, 2006 interpellation ('Serious Attacks on Democracy in the Philippines') has expressed concern over Beltran's plight, stressing that the 73-year old solon's arrest "clearly violates the International Convention on the Civil laws and Political and the Declaration of the Human rights of the United Nations ".
She also requested the Federal Council to take "diplomatic action" on the issue of Beltran's release.

"Doesn't the Federal Council think one diplomatic action, which could take the form of a request for release, is absolutely necessary vis-a-vis this violent infringement of the principles of democratic and human rights?" Maury Pasquer said in the excerpt of the interpellation sent to Cong. Beltran's office (text roughly translated into English from French).

"Doesn't it think that a democratic State like Switzerland would have, of agreement with the other countries and within the international organizations like the very new Council of the human rights, to engage so that the situation of the deputy Crispin Beltran improves as fast as possible and so that Philippines respects the democratic rights of their members of Parliament in particular and of the population in general?" Maury Pasquer continued.

"As a State defender of the human rights and democratic system, Switzerland must really engage these causes. If many members of Parliament of the whole world expressed their concern by letters addressed to the Filipino government, an official reaction of one or several States is necessary to show that this established fact is unacceptable," she concluded. Maury Pasquier also filed a resolution raising the issue of human rights in the Philippines at the Swiss Parliament signed by 24 other MPs. It is still pending before the Federal Council. Those who signed the resolution are Didier Berberat, Free Cavalli, Andre Daguet, Marlyse Dormond Béguelin , Jacqueline Fehr, Valerie Garbani, Vreni Hubmann, Francine John-Calame, Margret Kiener Nellen, Ueli Leuenberger, Susanne Leutenegger Oberholzer, Anne-Catherine Menétrey-Savary, Roger Nordmann, Fabio Pedrina, Rey Jean-Christmas, Stephan Rossini, Maria Roth-Bernasconi, Pierre Salvi, Geraldine Savary, Carlo Sommaruga, Pierre Vanek, Ruth-Gaby Vermot-Mangold, Hans Widmer, and Ursula Wyss.###

*Cong. Crispin Beltran is confined under police custody at the Philippine Heart Center in Quezon City. Today is the 131st day of his arbitrary detention by the Arroyo administration.

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InterpellationTexte déposé

Aux Philippines, le député du parti d'opposition « Anakpawis », Crispin Beltran, âgé de 73 ans, a été arrêté le 25 février 2006. Il est emprisonné depuis à cause de ses idées politiques. Inquiète de cette situation qui met en danger la démocratie, je prie le Conseil Fédéral de répondre aux questions suivantes :

- Le Conseil Fédéral ne pense-t-il pas qu'une action diplomatique, qui pourrait prendre la forme d'une demande de libération, est absolument nécessaire face à cette atteinte violente aux principes démocratique et aux droits humains ?

- Ne pense-t-il pas qu'un État démocratique comme la Suisse devrait, d'entente avec les autres pays et au sein des organisations internationales comme le tout nouveau Conseil des droits de l'homme, s'engager pour que la situation du député Crispin Beltran s'améliore au plus vite et pour que les Philippines respectent les droits démocratiques de leurs parlementaires en particulier et de la population en général ?

Développement
L'arrestation de M. Beltran est officiellement basée sur un mandat d'arrêt vieux de 21 ans et qui date donc de l'ère Marcos. Son cas a pourtant été réglé par une amnistie en 1988 par le président Aquino, car le mandat d'arrêt était uniquement motivé par des raisons politiques de lutte contre des dissidents. Face à la faiblesse de ses arguments, le gouvernement philippin a maintenant ajouté des accusations qui se basent sur des preuves incertaines et juridiquement contestables. Ainsi, il semble que M. Beltran n'a pas de chance d'être libéré prochainement.
Pourtant, M. Beltran n'a jamais appelé à des actes violents contre la présidente Arroyo, mais a seulement demandé la démission de cette dernière pour les fraudes commises pendant les élections 2004 et les violations massives des droits humains.

L'arrestation de M. Beltran viole clairement la Convention Internationale sur les Droits Civils et Politiques et la Déclaration des Droits de l'Homme des Nations Unies. Lui-même s'est d'ailleurs plaint auprès du groupe de travail onusien qui s'occupe de la détention arbitraire à New York et auprès de l'Union Interparlementaire à Genève.

La détention de M. Beltran s'inscrit dans le cadre d'autres mesures contraires aux droits démocratiques : mise en résidence surveillée d'autres parlementaires de partis d'opposition, menaces répétées envers les politiciennes et politiciens de ces partis sans même parler d'assassinats de membres de ces partis.

En tant qu'État défenseur des droits humains et du système démocratique, la Suisse doit s'engager réellement pour ces causes. Si de nombreux parlementaires du monde entier ont exprimé leurs préoccupations par des lettres adressées au gouvernement philippin, une réaction officielle d'un ou de plusieurs États est nécessaire pour démontrer que cet état de faits est inacceptable. Dans cette affaire, le régime philippin n'attaque pas seulement les libertés civiles et les droits humains mais en plus les principes de la démocratie représentative. Il empêche de travailler des parlementaires légalement élus par le peuple philippin et qui doivent pouvoir le représenter. Cela est d'autant plus frappant que les politiciennes et politiciens concernés s'engagent pour la défense des minorités, qui sont d'ores et déjà menacées par le régime actuel.
(Rough translation from French to English)

In Philippines, the deputy of the party of opposition "Anakpawis", Crispin Beltran, 73 years old, was stopped on February 25, 2006. He is imprisoned since because of his political ideas. Anxious of this situation which endangers the democracy, I request the Federal Council to answer the following questions:

- Doesn't the Federal Council think one diplomatic action, which could take the form of a request for release, is absolutely necessary vis-a-vis this violent infringement of the principles of democratic and the human rights?

- Doesn't it think that a democratic State like Switzerland would have, of agreement with the other countries and within the international organizations like the very new Council of the human rights, to engage so that the situation of the deputy Crispin Beltran improves as fast as possible and so that Philippines respects the democratic rights of their members of Parliament in particular and of the population in general?

Development
The arrest of Mr. Beltran is officially based on 21 years an old warrant for arrest and which thus dates from the Marcos era. Its case was however regulated by an amnesty in 1988 by president Aquino, because the warrant for arrest was only justified by political reasons of fight counters dissidents. Vis-a-vis the weakness of its arguments, the Filipino government now added charges which are based on dubious and juridically contestable evidence. Thus, it seems that Mr. Beltran does not have a chance to be released soon.

However, Mr. Beltran destined forever for acts violent one against the president Arroyo, but asked only for the resignation of the latter for the fraud during the elections 2004 and the massive violations of human rights. The arrest of Mr. Beltran clearly violates the International Convention on the Civil laws and Political and the Declaration of the Human rights of the United Nations. Itself complained besides near the U.N. working group which deals with arbitrary detention in New York and near the Interparliamentary Union in Geneva.

The detention of Mr. Beltran lies within the scope of other contrary measurements to the democratic rights: setting under house arrest of other members of Parliament of parties of opposition, threats repeated towards the politicking ones and politicians of these parties without same speech of assassinations of members of these parties.

As a State defender of the human rights and democratic system, Switzerland must really engage these causes. If many members of Parliament of the whole world expressed their concern by letters addressed to the Filipino government, an official reaction of one or several States is necessary to show that this established fact is unacceptable. In this business, the Filipino mode does not tackle only civil freedoms and the human rights but in more the principles of the representative democracy. It prevents from working of the members of Parliament legally elected by the Filipino people and who must be able to represent it. That is all the more striking that the politicking ones and politicians concerned engage for defense of the minorities, which are threatened right now by the current mode.