• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) logged 45 extra-judicial killings or murder cases, and drug-related deaths either perpetrated by New People’s Army (NPA) rebels or unidentified suspects in Negros Occidental last year, its provincial head Vincent Parra said yesterday.
Parra, however, said murder cases dropped from 64 in 2022 to 45 last year.
Records also showed an increase of deaths brought about by encounters between government forces and suspected NPA rebels last year, which was 12, compared to three in 2022.
A total of 71 human rights violation cases were recorded in Negros Occidental last year, down by 10 from 81 cases in 2022.
Parra, however, refused to reveal the sector which has the most number of alleged human rights violations, noting that it is “contentious” as the results of their investigations are not yet final.
He further said that the CHR also took note of the NPA’s admission of several killings in Negros.
CHR also logged cases of frustrated murder and enforced disappearance, arbitrary detention, divestment of property and internal displacement, at one each, in 2023. | GB
