Lim aide hits rights advocates
How about the victims’ rights?
Ric de Guzman, Mayor Alfredo Lim’s chief of staff, raised the question as he assailed the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) for focusing on the rights of the suspect and not of the victims.
De Guzman was reacting to an Inquirer story where the AHRC called for an investigation on Lim after he was shown on television interrogating and forcing a confession from a 23-year-old man accused of raping at least three women in Manila.
De Guzman pointed out that the victims were young, innocent women who lacked any motive to pin the suspect.
“When will these supposed human rights groups start standing up for the victims? Are they there for the suspects only? What about the victims? Don’t they have human rights too?” he lamented.
Lim in a statement defended his action and said he presented the suspect to encourage other victims to come forward.
“The purpose of the press conference was not to extract admission from the suspect as he has already confessed to the crime before the police, the intention was for other possible victims to surface once they see the suspect’s face on television and newspapers,” the mayor said.
