The Philippines has now become the 37th member of the Group of Friends (GoF) of the Mandela Rules which supports human rights of persons deprived of liberty (PDLs), said the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Monday, 29 May 2023.
The Mandela Rules “are based on an obligation to treat all prisoners with respect for their inherent dignity and value as human beings, and to prohibit torture and other forms of ill-treatment.”
According to Manila Bulletin, the Philippines’s Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin C. Remulla said that the country’s recent position in GoF is allied with its prison reform program.
He said that the Philippines is “determined to ensure that except for their liberty, our PDLs continue to enjoy all their other fundamental human rights while in detention.”
The other members of GoF include Algeria, Argentina, Austria, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Fiji, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, India, Italy, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Mexico, Namibia, Norway, State of Palestine, Panama, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, South Africa, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Uganda, United States, and Uruguay.
Source: https://mb.com.ph/2023/5/29/ph-now-member-of-group-of-friends-of-mandela-rules
