Human Rights Watch (HRW) claims the government is not reporting the real number of deaths in the Philippines’ jail system amid the pandemic COVID-19.
According to HRW, the five inmates they interviewed said at least seven detainees died in Quezon City jail and one in Cavite Provincial Jail since March 25. However, it was not determined if their cause of death is COVID-19 infection due to a lack of testing.
HRW also said that a detainee in Quezon City Jail serving as “medical aide” told them at least one inmate dies in the jail facility, which is higher than usual since the pandemic began.
Another inmate meanwhile said medical aides do not wear PPEs, but only face masks and gloves when they are taking a deceased detainee to an ambulance for transfer to the morgue, the rights watchdog said.
A detainee in Cavite Provincial Jail said a Nigerian man allegedly died of COVID-19, cited HRW. The inmate also said four detainees carried the Nigerian’s body out of jail wearing little protective equipment.
“Unreported deaths of inmates show the urgent need for the Duterte government to be transparent about the spread of Covid-19 inside the country’s overcrowded prisons,” said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at HRW.
“The government should get serious about the terrible situation in its prisons and jails and accurately report on prison deaths and illness,” he said.
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The HRW reported a detainee told them social distancing was impossible inside the jail facility. The inmate also said they lack nutritious food and that “only about a quarter” of them wore masks.
HRW said a detainee over 60 years old said: “The prisoners here are pitiful. There’s practically no space for us to sleep properly. Even the plaza outside our cells is occupied. They don’t care about us.”
“All the detainees interviewed said their cell leaders handed down explicit instructions not to disclose detainee deaths to relatives, the public, or the media,” HRW said.
The BJMP said Tuesday that 233 detainees and jail personnel at three city jails in the Philippines had acquired the respiratory disease.
The Bureau of Corrections, on the other hand, has reported 50 COVID-19 cases and three deaths among inmates and one case among staff members.