The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) on Tuesday raised concern over the admission of two police officers of planting evidence in a supposed buy-bust operation against Bryan Laresma at the boundary of San Juan, Batangas, and Tiaong, Quezon on May 28.
“The CHR condemns this act as it not only resulted in an unlawful killing but also violated the fundamental right to life of the victim,” chairperson Richard Palpal-latoc said. “It is imperative that the police officers implicated in this grievous act face the full extent of the law for their actions,” he added.
During a recent executive session in Congress, Mst. Sgt. Juan Macaraig and Sgt. Michie Perez admitted that the money, gun and shabu were planted on Laresma’s body to imply that he was involved in the illegal drug trade.
According to Adrian Laresma, he was to meet his brother Bryan near the San Juan-Tiaong bridge when he saw a policeman shooting Bryan.He claimed Bryan, who was unarmed at that time, was not involved in the illegal trade.
“The killing of Laresma is a clear violation of Articles 10 and 11 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which state that everyone is entitled, in full equality, to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal to determine their rights, obligations, and any criminal charges against them, and the right to be considered innocent until proven guilty, with all necessary guarantees for their defense,” the Commission said.
