[ad_1]
MANILA, Philippines – The Commission on Human Rights (HRC) on Wednesday urged the government to recognize and address the observations of the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court on crimes against humanity allegedly committed in the government’s war on drugs.
“As the country’s national human rights institution, the CHR urges the government to acknowledge and address the observations of the ICC, regarding its findings, and calls for greater transparency and accountability on the part of the government in the movement to provide reparations to the cases of rights violations, ”said the CHR in a statement.
The commission was referring to the December 14 report by ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda, which noted that there is a “reasonable basis” to believe that crimes against humanity were committed in the government’s anti-drug campaign.
The CHR noted that it is the duty of the state to ensure a healthy balance between freedom and authority and adherence to the rule of law.
He also stated that the primary responsibility to protect human rights of individuals remains with the State.
“Therefore, the government is called upon to fully address all violations that have resulted from the campaign against illegal drugs,” the commission said.
The HRC said it will continue to cooperate with national and international protection mechanisms to ensure that human rights violations are addressed and their perpetrators held to account.
“We remain vigilant and we will continue to condemn actions that threaten the peace and security of people, whether committed by state or non-state actors,” the agency added.
In reaction to the ICC report, Philippine National Police spokesman Brig. General Ildebrandi Usana said evidence is still needed to show that there are human rights violations in the anti-drug campaign.
He said police officers should be given the “benefit of the doubt” unless witnesses provide strong evidence of such violations in the crackdown on drug trafficking.
According to the latest data from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, a total of 5,942 drug suspects have been killed, while 266,126 people have been arrested in the anti-drug campaign from July 2016 to October 31.
JPV
Read next
Subscribe to INQUIRER PLUS to get access to The Philippine Daily Inquirer and more than 70 other titles, share up to 5 gadgets, listen to the news, download from 4am and share articles on social media. Call 896 6000.
For comments, complaints or inquiries, please contact us.
[ad_2]
