HOME > Main Activities > Highlights
-The government and international community should take measures against serious infringements of the right to life and safety
o I would like to send my words of sincere condolences to the victims of violent crimes in the Philippines including Mr. Ji who was kidnapped and murdered in October, 2016, their families and other Korean people who have shocked and are concerned due to those kinds of crimes.
o Upon the inauguration of president Rodrigo Duterte in June 2016, the government of the Philippines allowed police officers to immediately execute criminals during drug crackdown which brought concern for human rights infringements. Since December 2016, 6000 people were reportedly killed by police.
o Mr Ji, the victim, was taken by police officers who used a forged arrest warrant under the pretext of a drugs investigation and was murdered inside the national police headquarters. What is even more shocking is that police officers tried to extort 190 million won from the victim’s family by pretending he was still alive and received 120 million won.
o This is not first time that innocent Koreans citizens were kidnapped, murdered or asked for a ransom. In February 2012, police officers conspired with a tour guide and kidnapped four Korean tourists for possession of drugs. They released the victims after receiving a ransom. According to the media and civil society organizations in the Philippines, since June 2016, at least 11 similar cases took place.
o In those crimes, public authority that supposed to actively protect human rights, rather ignored universal human rights standards and violated basic human rights including the right to life. They also broke the principle of rule of law. In addition, with increasing violent crimes against Koreans in the Philippines, there is a growing concern among Koreans.
o Under article 10 of the Constitution of the Republic of Korea, state has a duty to confirm and guarantee the fundamental and inviolable human rights of individuals. In particular, article 2.2 of the Constitution prescribes state’s duty to protect citizens abroad.
o Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights prescribe that everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person, and no one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his life.
o The Korean government, as well as the government of the Philippines, as a member of international community, should guarantee everyone’s right to life and conform to international human rights instruments including the ICCPR.
o As the right the life of ten Korean people was infringed upon due to murder and violent crime by public authorities in the Philippines and there is a growing concern regarding this issue, the NHRCK strongly urge the Korean government to strengthen protection for Koreans residing abroad and take diplomatic measures to call for the government of Philippines to find the truth and devise measures to prevent recurrence of such crimes.
o The NHRCK strongly urges the government of the Philippines to respect human rights and conform to the due process of law as human rights issues are not confined to a single nation, but transcend borders and nationality as a universal value. The Commission will continue to make efforts to bring this issue of wide-spread infringements of right to life in the Philippines to the global stage in cooperation with +the GANHIR and APF.
23 January, 2017
Sung-Ho Lee
Chairperson
National Human Rights Commission of Korea
File