Kapatid slams BuCor for failure to inform families of prisoners’ deaths

Jodesz Gavilan

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Kapatid slams BuCor for failure to inform families of prisoners’ deaths
Kapatid spokesperson Fides Lim says humanitarian crisis inside congested prison facilities will never be addressed if authorities are not transparent

MANILA, Philippines – A group composed of families of political prisoners on Thursday, June 11, slammed the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) for failing to immediately disclose the deaths of persons deprived of liberty to their immediate relatives.  

In a statement, Kapatid spokesperson Fides Lim said this is alarming, especially in the context of the coronavirus pandemic.

“During this time of endless fears and anxieties of prisoners’ families, denying them their right to information about the actual condition of their kin is truly outrageous, callous and irresponsible,” she said.  

An ABS-CBN report on June 7 detailed incidents where families only learned about their loved ones’ death not from BuCor but from other visitors at the New Bilibid Prison (NBP).

Rappler, meanwhile, obtained documents showing a high number of deaths from March 4 to April 24. Dozens of people have died of unclear causes without being tested for the coronavirus.

“We reiterate that if authorities will not be transparent in reporting deaths and cases related to the coronavirus disease, the humanitarian crisis inside the country’s congested prison facilities will never be addressed and will only result to more problems,” Lim said.

Neglecting to inform the next of kin goes against the Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners set by the United Nations, which states that officials “shall at once inform the spouse, if the prisoner is married, or the nearest relative and shall in any event inform any other person previously designated by the prisoner” in the event of their death. 

KAPATID reiterated its call for mass release of elderly, sick, and low-risk offenders amid the coronavirus pandemic. 

“With prison officials’ denial to provide comprehensive responses and reports, the most humane way to address the concerns of prisoners and their families is by granting them temporary release,” Lim said.

The Supreme Court is yet to decide on its petition filed last April 8. On Thursday, Chief Justice Diosdado Peralta said the decision has been delayed as the justice in charge of the petition was stranded in the Visayas. 

Latest data shows that 745 inmates have tested positive and 6 have died in Bureau of Jail and Management Penology facilities, meaning prisoners on trial; and 194, including personnel, have tested positive in BuCor facilities. 

As of Wednesday, June 10, the Philippines has 23,732 coronavirus cases with 1,027 deaths and 4,895 recoveries. – Rappler.com

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Jodesz Gavilan

Jodesz Gavilan is a writer and researcher for Rappler and its investigative arm, Newsbreak. She covers human rights and impunity beats, producing in-depth and investigative reports particularly on the quest for justice of victims of former president Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs and war on dissent.