Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s war against illegal drugs has become controversial with the United Nations and international human rights groups condemning his actions as an apparent endorsement of extrajudicial killings. Duterte, who took office in May, had promised to ‘shoot to kill’ and eliminate drug dealing in the country in six months. As a result, more than 1,500 people have lost their lives in Duterte’s fight against narcotics. Police chief Director General Ronald de la Rosa told a Senate hearing that 665 drug suspects were killed in legitimate police operations while another 889 were killed by vigilantes.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in June condemned Duterte’s open call for extrajudicial killings, saying they were illegal and a breach of fundamental rights and freedoms. Yesterday, the UN Special Rapporteur on summary executions Agnes Callamard warned him that claims of fighting illicit drug trade do not absolve the government from its international legal obligations and do not shield state actors from responsibility for illegal killings. The warning came a day after President Duterte called the UN ‘stupid’ and vowed to continue his anti-narcotics offensive.
Rodrigo Duterte is overseeing exactly what he pledged in his campaign — a terrifying surge of extrajudicial killings of suspected drug dealers, users and criminals. In his inaugural speech Duterte declared that his adherence to due process and the rule of law is uncompromising. He has ordered police not to hesitate to kill and even urged ordinary citizens and communist rebels to join in the war against drugs. His response to rights groups opposing the killings is: “I don’t care about human rights”. Duterte also threatened to declare martial law if the judiciary interferes with his policies. The President recently received the backing of country’s solicitor general who said that ‘not enough’ criminals had been killed in the anti-drug operations.
Duterte has been waging this killing campaign for nearly two decades. From 1998 until this year he served as mayor of Davao City on the southern island of Mindanao, where death squads took the lives of more than 1,000 people. Many voters in the Philippines, where reported crimes have more than doubled since 2010, viewed Duterte’s brand of populism and harsh justice as a quick solution to the country’s social and political problems.
The Philippines has a serious drug problem and no one will question the fight against the illegal drugs trade. The drug trade took root in a nation plagued by rampant corruption and a discredited political establishment. But respecting human rights of each person also is equally important. The street executions are taking lives without trials or proof of criminality.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s war against illegal drugs has become controversial with the United Nations and international human rights groups condemning his actions as an apparent endorsement of extrajudicial killings. Duterte, who took office in May, had promised to ‘shoot to kill’ and eliminate drug dealing in the country in six months. As a result, more than 1,500 people have lost their lives in Duterte’s fight against narcotics. Police chief Director General Ronald de la Rosa told a Senate hearing that 665 drug suspects were killed in legitimate police operations while another 889 were killed by vigilantes.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in June condemned Duterte’s open call for extrajudicial killings, saying they were illegal and a breach of fundamental rights and freedoms. Yesterday, the UN Special Rapporteur on summary executions Agnes Callamard warned him that claims of fighting illicit drug trade do not absolve the government from its international legal obligations and do not shield state actors from responsibility for illegal killings. The warning came a day after President Duterte called the UN ‘stupid’ and vowed to continue his anti-narcotics offensive.
Rodrigo Duterte is overseeing exactly what he pledged in his campaign — a terrifying surge of extrajudicial killings of suspected drug dealers, users and criminals. In his inaugural speech Duterte declared that his adherence to due process and the rule of law is uncompromising. He has ordered police not to hesitate to kill and even urged ordinary citizens and communist rebels to join in the war against drugs. His response to rights groups opposing the killings is: “I don’t care about human rights”. Duterte also threatened to declare martial law if the judiciary interferes with his policies. The President recently received the backing of country’s solicitor general who said that ‘not enough’ criminals had been killed in the anti-drug operations.
Duterte has been waging this killing campaign for nearly two decades. From 1998 until this year he served as mayor of Davao City on the southern island of Mindanao, where death squads took the lives of more than 1,000 people. Many voters in the Philippines, where reported crimes have more than doubled since 2010, viewed Duterte’s brand of populism and harsh justice as a quick solution to the country’s social and political problems.
The Philippines has a serious drug problem and no one will question the fight against the illegal drugs trade. The drug trade took root in a nation plagued by rampant corruption and a discredited political establishment. But respecting human rights of each person also is equally important. The street executions are taking lives without trials or proof of criminality.
