Bato’s medal of honor insults drug war victims — rights group

MANILA, Philippines — Human Rights Watch slammed the conferment of a medal of honor to Philippine National Police Director General Ronald dela Rosa by the Indonesian government.

In a statement Thursday, HRW Asia Deputy Director Phelim Kine said the awarding of “Bintang Bhayangkara Utama”—the highest medal for the Indonesia’s National Police— to Dela Rosa “debased the rule of law.”

The country’s top cop was awarded for his contribution in combating terrorism.

READ: Indonesia's National Police honors Bato with highest award

Kine also hit Indonesia’s National Police chief Gen. Tito Karnavian for praising Dela Rosa’s “rock star-like inspiration” in fighting illegal drugs.

“That’s a perverse assessment of a Philippine government official implicated in possible crimes against humanity for inciting and instigating killings linked to the government’s war on drugs,” he said, noting that the medal of honor is a “gross insult” to drug war victims. 

Dela Rosa has been heavily criticized for leading the government’s war on drugs, which has killed over 12,000 individuals—including minors—according to rights watchdogs. 

The government, however, disputes these numbers and only counts a little over 4,000 “drug personalities” killed in police operations.

After receiving the award Wednesday, the PNP chief, who will retire on April 21, said the recognition would “inspire [him] to exert more effort in [the] drug war.”

“Dela Rosa has obstructed calls for accountability for those deaths by dismissing requests for independent investigations as ‘legal harassment’ and declaring that such demands ‘dampen the morale’ of police officers,” Kine said. 

The HRW officer also called on Indonesian President Joko Widodo to join calls for a United Nations-led probe into the Philippine drug war “rather than honoring one of its chief architects.”