The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) pledged its full cooperation in the investigation of the more than 5,600 deaths of suspects in the government’s operations against illegal drugs.
In a statement issued on Thursday, Feb. 25, the CHR also lauded the announcement of Justice Secretary Menardo I. Guevarra that the government “will cooperate with us and committed to include us in the case build up and evidence gathering in order to bridge victims of human rights violations….”
“We reiterate our previous statements that we value dialogue with the Philippine government as we have consistently attempted to invite them to work with us,” it said.
The CHR reacted to Guevarra’s report on cases of deaths in illegal drugs operations in his online meeting with the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) last Wednesday, Feb. 24.
Among other things, Guevarra told UNHRC that the findings of an inter-agency panel on cases of extra-judicial killings (EJKs) found irregularities on the part of law enforcement agents in the illegal drugs operation.
Guevarra, in a message to journalists on Thursday, Feb. 25, assured that criminal charges will be filed against policemen involving in the irregularities, and may even reach out to the families of the victims “so they themselves can act as complainants.”
“At the very least, the findings of the investigations conducted and the review of the cases of extrajudicial killings (EJKs) in the Administration’s so-called ‘War on Drugs’ are a step in the right direction,” it said.
“As the National Human Rights Institution of the Philippines, the CHRP plays an important role in moving the findings forward. We emphasize, however, that we remain in anticipation of the full report of the review panel and look forward to be included in its processes,” it also said.
“The investigations have to push through, and make sure that perpetrators are held to account. The victims need to be confident that actions will be taken, and we commit ourselves in making this a reality,” it stressed.