‘Cruel, inhumane and degrading’: mass strip search at Philippine prison causes uproar
Photos showing hundreds of prisoners in a Philippine jail sitting naked while being searched for contraband have triggered accusations of further rights abuses in President Rodrigo Duterte’s deadly war on drugs.
This incident clearly amounts to cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment of prisoners
The inmates of the Cebu provincial jail were woken before dawn on Tuesday, herded into the jail’s quadrangle and forced to strip while anti-drug agents, police and military searched their cells, prison officer Rafael Espina said.
Photos released by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and provincial police showed the inmates sitting naked and cross legged in neat rows on the concrete quadrangle, illuminated by spotlights, as armed police guarded them.
A statement released by the drug enforcement agency said the raid had netted “several packets” of methamphetamines and marijuana leaves, as well as knives and mobile phones.
With the photos gaining traction on social media, human rights groups voiced concern.
“This incident clearly amounts to cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment of prisoners,” Amnesty International said in a statement.
Watch: soaring death tolls, broken families and overcrowded jails
