CHR expresses concern over strip search of political prisoners’ female kin

This undated photo shows members of a private group called ‘Savepoint Corona Busters Team’ spray disinfectant in the detention cells at the Manila Police District headquarters.

The STAR / Edd Gumban, file

MANILA, Philippines – The Commission on Human Rights reminded jail authorities on Thursday to comply with international rules after a family member of a political prisoner was subjected to a strip search without consent.

The CHR cited provisions in the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, or the Mandela Rules, that forbids the use of security searches to “harass, intimidate or unnecessarily intrude upon a prisoner’s privacy” and that “intrusive searches shall be conducted in private and by trained staff of the same sex as the prisoner.”

The human rights body also reminded the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) to adhere to its own guidelines on strip searches of persons entering jail premises.

Full Story: https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2023/01/19/2238734/chr-expresses-concern-over-strip-search-political-prisoners-female-kin