Gov't commitments to human rights must reduce violent incidents —CHR

The Philippine government’s commitments before international bodies to uphold human rights must translate into a reduction of violence on the ground, the Commission on Human Rights said Thursday.

“Words will mean nothing if deaths and human rights violations persist,” CHR spokesperson Jacqueline de Guia said in a statement.

On Wednesday, the European Union reminded the Philippines of its vow to hold human rights violators accountable, as it welcomed the government’s probe into the killing of nine activists

“We welcome the pronouncements from the Secretary of Justice, Menardo Guevarra, that they shall be investigating the case of arrests and deaths in Calabarzon,” the CHR said.

“As the government claims a functioning CHR in the country, we hope that we can finally hurdle restrictions on accessing case files and information on the many human rights violations we also seek to investigate in the interest of truth and seeking justice,” it added.

Earlier, the CHR said restrictions on access to police records are hindering investigations into killings, particularly those linked to the Duterte administration’s drug war. 

De Guia also cautioned the government against “using words and pronouncements that may encourage impunity and violence, such as encouragement to kill and disregard human rights.”

The killing of the nine activists, like the drug war deaths, have been linked to President Rodrigo Duterte’s repeated shoot-to-kill orders to police. 

“Thus far, red-tagging has shown how it puts the lives of activists and human rights defenders at risk, with others suffering harassment, intimidation, and even death,” the CHR pointed out. —LBG, GMA News