外出禁止違反の罰則でスクワット、男性死亡　比警察が捜査

【マニラＡＦＰ＝時事】フィリピン警察は7日、新型コロナウイルスの外出制限に違反した男性（28）が、罰則としてスクワットのような運動を100回繰り返すよう強制された後に死亡したとして、捜査を開始したと発表した。（写真は資料写真）
　新型ウイルスの感染急拡大に歯止めをかけるため、マニラ首都圏と隣接する４州には先週、午後６時から翌午前５時までの外出禁止令が出された。警察はこれに違反したとして、これまでに１万人以上に罰則を科してきた。
　死亡した男性の妻がＡＦＰに話したところによると、男性は１日夜、マニラ南方の都市ゼネラルトリアスで水を買いに外出したところ、拘束された。
　男性は心臓に持病があり、２日に帰宅した時は歩くのもやっとで、激しい痛みを訴えていたという。３日に「けいれん」を起こし、数時間後に死亡した。
　国家警察庁は、男性は他の違反者らと共に警察署へ連行され、過酷な運動を強制されたという証言が２人からあると明かした。
　この運動は「慣れていなければ失神する。警察官でも苦しい」もので、捜査結果が出るまで市警察のトップと警察官２人が停職になっているという。
　人権団体は以前から、新型ウイルス対策の違反者に対する警察の行き過ぎた懲罰に懸念を示している。
　ヒューマン・ライツ・ウオッチによると、警察などの当局者らは昨年実施された１か月間のロックダウン（都市封鎖）中、外出制限違反者を犬のおりに入れ、炎天下に座らせていたという。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2021/04/09-12:23）

Philippine police said Wednesday they are investigating the death of a coronavirus lockdown violator who was forced to do a hundred squat-like exercises as a penalty for breaking curfew.
Police have punished more than 10,000 people for breaching a 6:00 pm to 5:00 am curfew imposed on Metro Manila and four provinces bordering the national capital region last week to curb soaring infections.
Darren Penaredondo, 28, was detained Thursday night after going out to buy water in General Trias city, south of the capital, his wife told AFP.
He was taken along with other curfew breakers to a police station and made to do the gruelling workout, national police spokesman Ildebrandi Usana said, citing two witness accounts.
They were made to exercise 100 times. It's a knee-bender exercise, Usana explained to AFP.
It's painful. If that's the requirement, you will really pass out especially if you're not used to it. Even policemen themselves find it difficult.
Reichelyn Balce said her husband, who had a heart condition, could barely walk when he got home on Friday and was in a lot of pain.
The next day he had a convulsion and died hours later.
He said they were made to do pumping exercises for 100 reps. If they're not in sync, they have to start over, Balce told AFP.
Usana said the city's police chief and two officers have been removed from their posts pending the results of an investigation into the incident.
As of Tuesday police had fined nearly 10,000 people and ordered around a thousand to do community service or other activities for breaking curfew, official data show.
Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said Monday local officials should consider using community service to punish people breaking lockdown rules, rather than jailing or fining them.
Rights groups have previously raised concerns about excessive punishments for people caught breaching Covid-19 restrictions.
During last year's monthslong lockdown, police and officials held curfew violators in dog cages and forced them to sit in the midday sun as punishment, Human Rights Watch said.