WRIT CONTRA HOMO SACER: SC rule requires full documentation of death-resulting PNP operations


PHOTO LINK: http://cnnphilippines.com/incoming/oay29s-supreme-court-war-on-drugs_CNNPH.png/alternates/FREE_640/supreme-court-war-on-drugs_CNNPH.png

A nongovernment organization of lawyers on Wednesday urged the Supreme Court to issue a new protective writ that will look into the spate of drug-related killings amid the Duterte administration’s war on drugs.

In its 14-page letter petition, the Center for International Law asked the high court to create a Writ “Contra Homo Sacer,” which it said will allow a new mandatory inquest procedure to address the increasing extrajudicial killings from police or vigilante operations. The lawyers said the new writ will require the police to produce a full documentation of any operation, “from planning to its implementation and its aftermath.”

SOURCE: SC urged to craft new protective writ against drug killings By: Yuji Vincent Gonzales - Reporter / @YGonzalesINQ INQUIRER.net / 06:23 PM April 26, 2017 Read more: https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/892220/sc-urged-to-craft-new-protective-writ-against-drug-killings#ixzz5TIQHiwv2 Follow us: @inquirerdotnet on Twitter | inquirerdotnet on Facebook
In its letter-petion, Centerlaw – led by lawyer Joel Ruiz Butuyan – cited that at least 8,000 persons have been killed in the last 10 months in the government’s drive against illegal drugs under “Oplan Tokhang” being implemented by the Philippine National Police (PNP).

“We write to implore the Supreme Court to promulgate additional rules on criminal procedure to help prevent the disturbing emergence of a class of people who – harking back to ancient Roman times – are no more than homo sacer, or beings reduced to mere biological existence, denied of all rights, marked for execution anytime and anywhere,” the petitioner told the SC.

Centerlaw explained that under the “Writ of Contra Homo Sacer,” a new mandatory inquest procedure could be instituted to address deaths arising from police operations and vigilante-style killings.

Under the proposed writ, the PNP should be required to submit a full documentation of any of its operations — from planning to implementation and results.

“This includes the mandatory submission of detailed reports, forensic evidence, autopsy reports and the like, that comply with international standards. Many of these documentary requirements, while already provided under existing rules of the Department of Justice and the Philippine National Police, are often ignored by authorities,” it said.

SOURCE: SC asked to promulgate new writ for drug suspects killed in police operations; Published April 28, 2017, 12:10 AM https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/04/28/sc-asked-to-promulgate-new-writ-for-drug-suspects-killed-in-police-operations/