'Drug war' deaths rise amid coronavirus pandemic — int'l rights monitor
MANILA, Philippines — Extrajudicial killings linked to the Duterte administration's flagship anti-drug campaign were not only unhampered by the coronavirus-induced lockdowns—they also increased dramatically, a human rights watchdog found.
In a release published Wednesday morning, Asia division researcher Carlos Conde of the New York-based Human Rights Watch said that the national government's own statistics showed that cops killed 50% more people from April to July 2020 than they did in the last four-month period.
"Human Rights Watch analyzed the government’s statistics and found 155 persons were killed in the past four months. Before the Covid-19 crisis, police killed 103 persons from December 2019 to March 2020...The number of fatalities in these ostensible drug enforcement raids, in which the police routinely claimed that the victims fought back, jumped dramatically from the 26 deaths recorded by the PDEA in five months from July to November 2019," Conde wrote.
"The government is expected to continue to deny the allegations rather than offer a constructive response. But as the government’s own statistics show, the atrocities in the “drug war” have worsened, even as the country suffers the worst in the region from the pandemic," he also said.
The international rights monitor already pointed this out earlier in late May when it said that the nightly killings continued amid the community quarantines, which made it harder for them to be documented under strict police enforcement.
Although Police Gen. Camilo Cascolan, the newest chief of the Philippine National Police, has denied that EJKs ever occurred, he also said police officers also died during anti-drug operations. The PNP's own data recognizes 5,810 persons killed in these operations as of the end of July 2020, although police routinely parrot the narrative that drug suspects fought back violently and forced their hand.
READ: Despite police claims, drug war killings continue amid COVID-19 lockdown — int'l rights monitor
However, Conde pointed out that "thousands of other drug suspects have been killed by unidentified assailants, many of whom are believed to be plainclothes police officers or vigilantes operating in coordination with local authorities."
In June, for instance, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights reported that more than 8,600 people have died in Duterte’s “drug war,” while other rights organizations in the Philippines estimate that the number could even be as high as 30,000.
Yet, only one case has resulted in a conviction.
On Tuesday, Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director also of the Human Rights Watch, slammed Cascolan's denial of the well-documented killings and challenged the PNP to hand investigating bodies full access to its records if it really did not have anything to hide.
"Numerous victims, their families, and witnesses have repeatedly pointed out police misconduct during drug raids where police not only illegally killed suspects but manufactured and planted bogus evidence, such as guns, to claim that victims were armed when they were killed," he said.
"Instead of burying his head in the sand in this cynical and self-interested attempt to evade accountability, Cascolan should ensure that the PNP fully cooperates with investigating bodies."
Reuters wins Pulitzers, the most prestigious awards in American journalism, in international reporting for its story on the methods of police killing squads in President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs and for feature photography documenting the Rohingya refugee crisis in Myanmar and Bangladesh.
In covering the deadly drug war in the Philippines, Reuters reporters Clare Baldwin, Andrew R.C. Marshall and Manuel Mogato "demonstrated how police in the president’s 'drug war' have killed with impunity and consistently been shielded from prosecution," Reuters Editor-in-Chief Stephen J. Adler says.
Sen. Francis Tolentino says he has agreed to serve as legal counsel for Sen. Bato dela Rosa before the International Criminal Court. — Xave Gregorio
Sen. Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa says he is “not worried” of the ICC’s resumption of investigation into the brutal war on drugs.
The Commission on Human Rights welcomes the verdict of a Caloocan court that convicted police officer Jeffrey Perez of torture and planting of evidence in the killings of teenagers Carl Arnaiz and Reynaldo “Kulot” de Guzman during former President Rodrigo Duterte’s campaign against illegal drugs.
"The Commission hopes that more cases similar to Carl and Kulot will reach the courts," the government agency says in a statement.
"We hope that more eye witnesses will step forth and feel encouraged to help progress the thousands of drug-related killings still pending investigations and trials," it adds.
The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights' work on the Philippines "is far from done" as victims of the bloody "war on drugs" continue to seek accountability and justice, the Human Rights Watch says.
"The Human Rights Council should adopt OHCHR’s recommendation that the high commissioner’s office continue to monitor and regularly report on the country’s rights situation," Carlos Conde, the senior researcher for Asia Division of the HRW, says in a statement.
"There’s no short-term solution to making real progress on accountability and providing justice for people in the Philippines," he adds.
Gabriela Women's Party supports the request of International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan to resume probe on President Duterte's drug war killings. — The STAR/Sheila Crisostomo
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