Human Rights Watch urges gov't to shutter 'secret jails' | ABS-CBN
ADVERTISEMENT
Welcome, Kapamilya! We use cookies to improve your browsing experience. Continuing to use this site means you agree to our use of cookies. Tell me more!
Human Rights Watch urges gov't to shutter 'secret jails'
Human Rights Watch urges gov't to shutter 'secret jails'
ABS-CBN News
Published Apr 29, 2017 09:46 AM PHT
International non-government organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) called on the Philippine government to protect the rights of alleged drug suspects found detained in a hidden detention cell in a Manila Police District station.
International non-government organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) called on the Philippine government to protect the rights of alleged drug suspects found detained in a hidden detention cell in a Manila Police District station.
In a statement released Saturday, HRW said the government should immediately release the detainees and ensure their protection after release.
In a statement released Saturday, HRW said the government should immediately release the detainees and ensure their protection after release.
"These detainees have been wrongfully held and should be freed with adequate protections against police reprisal,” said Phelim Kine, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch.
"These detainees have been wrongfully held and should be freed with adequate protections against police reprisal,” said Phelim Kine, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch.
"The police authorities should be put on notice that responsibility for the detainees’ safety rests with them," he added.
"The police authorities should be put on notice that responsibility for the detainees’ safety rests with them," he added.
ADVERTISEMENT
According to HRW, the hidden detention cell found in MPD Station 1 is not unique, citing a 2015 Commission on Human Rights (CHR) study suggesting that unofficial lock-up cells are a common feature in police stations.
According to HRW, the hidden detention cell found in MPD Station 1 is not unique, citing a 2015 Commission on Human Rights (CHR) study suggesting that unofficial lock-up cells are a common feature in police stations.
The study also said that detainees in police lock-up cells in the National Capital Region routinely suffer “deprivation and neglect with respect to their fundamental human rights.”
The study also said that detainees in police lock-up cells in the National Capital Region routinely suffer “deprivation and neglect with respect to their fundamental human rights.”
"The government should direct the CHR and the National Bureau of Investigation to locate other secret police jails in the country and prosecute all those responsible," Kine said.
"The government should direct the CHR and the National Bureau of Investigation to locate other secret police jails in the country and prosecute all those responsible," Kine said.
"Secret jails may just be one more form of police criminality that has multiplied during the drug war," he added.
"Secret jails may just be one more form of police criminality that has multiplied during the drug war," he added.
On Thursday, the CHR found 12 men and women detained inside a cramped room hidden behind a bookshelf in the Raxabago police station in Tondo.
On Thursday, the CHR found 12 men and women detained inside a cramped room hidden behind a bookshelf in the Raxabago police station in Tondo.
The CHR said there was no record of the arrest and inquest proceedings for the detainees, who alleged that cops held them in the facility for a week, without notifying their families or lawyers.
The CHR said there was no record of the arrest and inquest proceedings for the detainees, who alleged that cops held them in the facility for a week, without notifying their families or lawyers.
The detainees also accused policemen of torturing them and demanding money for their freedom.
The detainees also accused policemen of torturing them and demanding money for their freedom.
They also claimed that inadequate lighting, ventilation, and toilet facilities forced them "to urinate and [do] bowel movements in plastic bags," according to CHR-Metro Manila director Gilbert Boisner.
They also claimed that inadequate lighting, ventilation, and toilet facilities forced them "to urinate and [do] bowel movements in plastic bags," according to CHR-Metro Manila director Gilbert Boisner.
Supt. Robert Domingo, commander of the Raxabago station, has denied the allegation, insisting instead that those detained in the hidden cell could not mix with other suspects in the station's main cell because no case has been filed against them yet.
Supt. Robert Domingo, commander of the Raxabago station, has denied the allegation, insisting instead that those detained in the hidden cell could not mix with other suspects in the station's main cell because no case has been filed against them yet.
Domingo and 12 other officers of the Raxabago station were temporarily relieved to pave the way for an impartial probe.
Domingo and 12 other officers of the Raxabago station were temporarily relieved to pave the way for an impartial probe.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
