CHR: Treating suspects innocent until proven guilty does not mean defending criminality

The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) on Saturday clarified it was neither endorsing nor defending criminality whenever it insists that criminals are "innocent until proven guilty."

The CHR issued the statement following an article about Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña blaming the commission for what he said was a rise in criminality in the country.

"What I see is that criminals are not afraid anymore because they have human rights and the victims have no human rights. So what happened? There will be more victims. They're (the CHR) a big part of this," the mayor was quoted as saying.

In response, the CHR said in its statement: "Holding the accused innocent until proven guilty in the court of law is one of the most crucial principles of the Philippine justice system, and the Commission continuously reminds the government and the public that this principle is something we must all uphold."

"Ensuring that this right is protected is not endorsing criminality nor is it defending criminals, and any rise in crime in any place in the Philippines cannot be attributed to human rights defenders who strive only for the justice system to work as intended," it added.

The CHR assured the public that its goal was always to protect the rights of all Filipinos.

It also reiterated the importance of due process and following the rule of law.

" All humans have the right to due process in court of law. Regardless of their circumstances, summary executions are not justice, and any assertion that their deaths are deserved is a sign of a failing justice system," it said. — Jessica Bartolome/MDM, GMA News