On the same day, Police Staff Sergeant Celso Lucero Colita, one of the accused, was reported to have shot himself on the same night of Nepomuceno’s death.
“We stress that women victims, as key witnesses, should be granted full protection from any form of retaliation or attacks to ensure that they exercise their right to participate in investigations and legal proceedings,” De Guia said. “This is an important guarantee so that those aggrieved may ultimately pursue justice and accountability without fear from the perpetrators of human rights violations,” she added.
The CHR urged the government to conduct a swift investigation of the case since other complainants are vulnerable to violence. Last month, 11 police officers of the Sawang Calero police station were charged with robbery, arbitrary detention, grave coercion, and grave threats at the Cebu provincial prosecutor’s office. They had been accused of stealing Nepomuceno’s valuables.
RGQuevedo_INQ *shot in the head