Hubaran sa Bilibid? 'Strip searches' sa misis ng political prisoners iimbestigahan | Pilipino Star Ngayon

MANILA, Philippines — Labis na nabahala ang Commission on Human Rights (CHR) sa balitang "pinaghuhubad" at "pinatutuwaad" ang ilang bumibisita sa New Bilibid Prison, dahilan para magkasa ng imbestigasyon ang Department of Justice (DOH) tungkol sa reklamo.

Martes nang ilapit ni ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro sa House Committee on Human Rights ang diumano'y strip search na ginagawa sa mga asawa ng political prisoners ng Bibilid, bagay na dapat aniyang mausisa.

"The group KAPATID issued a statement outlining three different complaints about strip searches among [persons deprived of liverty] visitors," wika ng CHR ngayong Miyerkules.

"The description of 'humiliating, degrading, and traumatic' brought by these strip searches experienced by victims was emphasized."

Ika-19 lang ng Enero nang maglabas ang CHR ng kahalintulad na pahayag tungkol sa isinagawa rin daw na strip search sa mga bisita ng Metro Manila District Jail Annex 4.

Una nang sinabi ni Castro na sinamahan na sila ng CHR para maghain ng pormal na reklamo't protesta laban sa paulit-ulit na "pagpapahubad, pagpapatuwad at paninilip" sa mga maseselang bahagi ng babae habang hinahanapan ng droga. Isa sa mga sinearch ay isang senior citizen.

Kaugnay nito, nagkasa na rin ng sariling imbestigasyon ang CHR sa pangunguna ng kanilang Investigation Office and the Prevention Cluster.

"CHR affirms that the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology's (BJMP) search guidelines should not be applied arbitrarily and that searches should not be directed at the families of political prisoners," dagdag pa ng CHR.

"With these continuing acts of concerned security officers, we reiterate Rules 51 and 52(1) of the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, or the Mandela Rules, which state that security searches 'shall not be used to harass, intimidate, or unnecessarily intrude upon a prisoner's privacy' and that 'intrusive searches shall be conducted in private and by trained staff of the same sex as the prisoner.'"

"While we recognise the importance of maximum security inspection to ensure the safety and security of correctional facilities, it is vital that these security measures do not