Children’s rights advocates on Wednesday renewed their call for a more independent investigation into the arrests of protesters during the Sept. 21 protests and even minors who were later determined as mere bystanders.
The Child Rights Network (CRN) said its member organizations have reported the conditions of the minors’ detention that they described as ‘unlawful.’
‘[H]owever.many of the children arrested were simply bystanders and were not paid to destroy property,’ the CRN said in a statement.
This was also in response to Interior Secretary Jonvic Remula’s claim that the minors arrested during the Sept. 21 protest were ‘paid to cause destruction,’ which prompted the CRN to urge the government to actually go after the adult perpetrators and leave the children to the mechanisms provided under the Juvenile Justice Law.
Remulla, in a statement on Sept. 23, said the incident in Mendiola was ‘not a legitimate’ protest, but insisted on the claim that it was an orchestrated act.
The CRN, however, also raised reports of physical violence against the children by state agents who arrested them, which they said was also raised to the group.
‘This underscores the need for an independent, thorough and impartial investigation to establish the truth and hold all those who committed violent acts against children accountable,’ the CRN said.
According to the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), there were 95 minors who were arrested during the Sept. 21 protests, along with 217 other individuals.
The DILG said that possible charges that may be filed against them are arson, destruction of property, inciting to sedition and sedition.
Remulla also claimed that there were reports of supposed plots by rioters to burn down Malacanang.