A human rights group filed a fresh set of complaints against the warden of the Negros Occidental District Jail – Male Dormitory (NODJ-MD) mere two months after a standoff between the official and detainees last August.
KARAPATAN filed formal complaints before the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) and the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) urging for an immediate and independent investigation on Warden JCINSP Crisyrel Awe for “grave and persistent human rights violations.”
The group said Awe is back abusing, intimidating and arbitrarily punishing persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) that is even worse than the previous complaints against him that led to several days of standoff nine weeks ago.
In their silent protest last August, the PDLs said Awe displayed conduct “unbecoming of a public official.”
While Awe was initially relieved following the protest, he was later reinstated, after which conditions inside the facility reportedly deteriorated drastically, KARAPATAN said.
WHAT WENT BEFORE:
1. 600 Bago City inmates conducting ‘silent protest’ vs warden
2. Bago City jail fires rubber bullets, tear gas at protesting inmates
Karapatan said another alarming incident occurred last October 26 when political prisoner Lorenzo Perolino was padlocked in an isolated area without explanation or due process.
Perolino’s family and rights advocates described the act as “retaliatory and intimidating.”
Warden Awe also recently locked PDLs, including political prisoners, inside their cells for 24 hours, without prior notice and clear legal justification, KARAPATAN said.
“[T]hey have been deprived of their rights to sunlight exposure and access to open area and fresh air, to conjugal rights, and to participation in religious, recreational and alternative learning systems activities,” KARAPATAN said.
“These incidents reveal a systematic pattern of repression and inhumane treatment at NODJ-MD,” KARAPATAN Secretary General Cristina Palabay said.
“They violate the rights of detainees, including political prisoners, and contravene the Anti-Torture Act of 2009 (RA 9745), the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials (RA 6713), and the BJMP Comprehensive Operations Manual, which upholds humane and rehabilitative jail management,” Palabay pointed out.
The rights group urged the CHR to conduct a comprehensive, on-site investigation and to recommend disciplinary and criminal action against Awe and other jail officers involved in the October 26 incident.
It likewise called on the BJMP to suspend or reassign Awe pending investigation to prevent interference and further retaliation.
KARAPATAN also pressed for the restoration of educational, livelihood, and volunteer programs, and a transparent audit of commissary and cooperative funds to ensure accountability and uphold the welfare of detainees.
“The situation at NODJ-MD demands urgent action to stop abuse and restore humane conditions,” Palabay stressed. “No one should be stripped of their basic rights, dignity, and humanity,” she added. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)