MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) on Saturday slammed the Philippine National Police (PNP) for its treatment of detained Senator Leila de Lima.
De Lima is being held at the PNP Custodial Center inside Camp Crame as the courts continue hearing her drug cases.
“As such, the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) calls out the Philippine National Police in their treatment of former CHR chairperson and now elected senator, Leila M de Lima,” CHR spokesperson Jacqueline de Guia said in a statement.
CHR noted that the PNP placed De Lima under heavy guard which it said is different from how the national police handles other high profile detainees in its custody.
“The Senator has consistently been heavily guarded and covered by police escorts with their extended hands in attempt to hide her from the public and media during her attendance at court hearings,” De Guia said.
“This visual is a stark contrast with how the police handles other high profile personalities accused of crimes,” she added.
The CHR also cited the United Nations Basic Principles for the Treatment of Prisoners which stated: “except for those limitations that are demonstrably necessitated by the fact of incarceration, all prisoners shall retain the human rights and fundamental freedoms set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.”
The rights body urged government to “exercise impartiality in applying human rights standards to Senator De Lima, as well as all persons deprived of liberty.”
According to the CHR, government has the obligation to uphold human rights as a foundational principle of democracy.
“It is their obligation to uphold the human rights of everyone, as well as ensure that the foundational principles of a democracy, as reflected in our Constitution, are preserved,” De Guia said. /muf