Bu-lat-lat (boo-lat-lat) verb: to search, probe, investigate, inquire; to unearth facts Volume 2, Number 26 August 4-10, 2002 Quezon City, Philippines |
Philippines: Protect the community from crime - but not at the cost of human rights As President Arroyo declared war on criminality in her State of the Nation address yesterday, Amnesty International warned of an accompanying risk of vigilantism, unlawful killings and the use of torture against criminal suspects. By
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL "The
community has a right to be protected from violent crime.
However, this must be achieved through a professionalized police force,
adequately resourced and trained, and fully respectful of human rights and the
rule of law," the organization said. Following
an earlier anti-crime summit meeting in Manila, President Arroyo announced the
formation of a police special crime unit which will use 'military-style' tactics
to target suspected kidnap gangs. During the meeting, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo
Duterte, named by President Arroyo as head of a national 'consultative task
force' on crime, appeared to suggest that extreme measures - including
extra-judicial executions – were acceptable and effective means to combat
criminality. Concerns
over the potential impact of Mayor Duterte's statements are heightened by
reports of the killings, by unidentified "vigilantes", of 29 suspected
criminals, including youth gang members and street children in Davao since late
2001. Amid repeated threats of
tough action against criminals, and the apparent tolerance of sections of the
community weary of high crime rates, the wave of killing increased following
radio and television broadcasts by the Mayor listing alleged drugs pushers and
users. Allegations that city officials may have incited or colluded in the
killings persist as investigations have failed to identify the perpetrators --
not least because potential witnesses remain reluctant to testify for fear of
reprisals. "Peace
and order will never be achieved by a vigilante's bullet, or by police using a
plastic bag to suffocate a suspect to coerce a confession," Amnesty
International said. "Such
appalling abuses fall repeatedly on those already most marginalized in society
and do not discriminate between the innocent and the guilty. They poison the
administration of justice, undermine the rule of law and irrevocably tarnish
those institutions charged with protecting the community," the organization
continued. Amnesty
International believes that more effective criminal investigations by police
must be delivered within a reformed criminal justice system in which human
rights and due process are respected in practice and not only on paper.
Widespread use of unlawful arrests without a warrant, the use of torture to
coerce confessions, and lack of access to competent counsel both at pre-trial
and trial stages continue to undermine the rights of the accused and increase
the risk of judicial mistakes. Attempts to "cleanse" the police of
corrupt or abusive officers remain hampered by failing complaints mechanisms
which do not lead to successful prosecutions of perpetrators, thus sustaining a
climate of impunity. In
this context, Amnesty International is dismayed that the Arroyo administration
may be about to set its face against the clear worldwide trend in favor of
abolition of the death penalty and abandon a two year de facto moratorium on
executions. The Philippines may resume the use of capital punishment in October,
with the execution, by lethal injection, of a convicted rapist.
At least 1,004 of over 2,000 people reported sentenced to death
nationwide have been transferred to Death Row, and at least 79 have had their
sentences confirmed by the Supreme Court. "The
death penalty is still being presented as a solution to criminality -
particularly kidnapping. It is not," Amnesty International said, stressing
that no evidence has emerged to show that executions deter criminals more that
other punishments. "Also, the basic safeguards ensuring a fair trial and
preventing the execution of the innocent are frequently not respected in the
Philippines, especially if the suspect is from a poor or marginalized
community," the organization added. Amnesty International is urging President Arroyo not to resume executions, to focus efforts on the provision of effective, professional policing, and to issue a clear statement that the struggle against criminality does not mean the abandonment of those basic human rights which continue to offer protection to every member of the community whatever their status. Bulatlat.com July 23, 2002 We want to know what you think of this article.
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