CHR reiterates stance on the death penalty in End Crime, Not Life Public Forum August 17, 2017 The Commission death penalty on Human in the Rights (CHR) Philippines, stressed asserting that its opposition it has never to the reinstatement deterred heinous of the crimes from happening in the country. “Death penalty does not deter crimes. In fact, crime rates went down by 18.8% even without the death penalty,” said CHR Commissioner Karen Gomez-Dumpit during the “End Crime, Not Life” Public Forum at CHR’s Bulwagang Ka Pepe on Monday, August 14. The Commission ASEAN (CADPA) Commissioner unpunished. responsive this call alongside the Coalition on the Abolition of Death whose representatives were Gomez-Dumpit clarified that Commission, however, believes system not through The penal Commissioner have echoed and Gomez-Dumpit any statistics to prove the harsh also present CHR does that justice punishments, laments that pro-death that the death during the said not want any crime can be such achieved as the penalty advocates penalty could Penalty in event. to through death go a penalty. in Congress do not deter crime. “They simply want it passed,” she said. Violates the right to life Civil society organizations (CSOs) present at the event also joined the chorus against the reinstatement of capital punishment in the country, reminding the government of its obligations under the international law. Nilda Sevilla of In Defense of Human penalty violates the basic human Rights and Dignity (iDefend) stressed that the death right to life and runs against the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) that seeks to abolish the death penalty across all countries. The Philippines had 80 ratified this international statute in 2007.