Progressive group KARAPATAN on Wednesday, March 13, urged the Commission on Human Rights to pursue independent investigations into the alleged extra-judicial killings in Negros Island, claiming that the Army and the police have refused to cooperate.
Karapatran, in a press release, claimed that the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Philippine National Police have refused to cooperate in CHR Negros’ investigations of the killings of red-tagged farmers and other marginalized sectors during encounters of the AFP and PNP against the New People’s Army.
The group is appealing to CHR Chairperson Richard Palpal-latoc to uphold the agency’s independent role and pursue the investigations “in the interest of justice and protection of human rights”.
Karapatan claimed that it has documented at least 35 extrajudicial killings in Negros since July 2022.
From July 2016 to June 2023 it documented 94 victims of extrajudicial killings in Negros, Karapatan added.
These include the massacre of four members of the Fausto family in June 2023 in Himamaylan City and the summary killing in February 2024 of farmer Jose Caramihan, who was reportedly slain by soldiers while he was tending his fields, Karapatran said.*