Rights group hits lack of ‘meaningful accountability’ in war on drugs
MANILA, Philippines – Amnesty International slammed Monday the Duterte administration’s lack of “meaningful accountability” on the brutal war on drugs which has claimed the lives of thousands of drug suspects since it was enforced in 2016.
“There has been no meaningful accountability at the national level for the thousands of extrajudicial executions that have taken place over the last three years,” Amnesty International said in its report.
“Only a single case – caught on video – has been brought to justice, leading to the conviction in November 2018 of three police officers who murdered 17- year-old Kian delos Santos,” it added.
The London-based human rights group stressed that this prosecution is “in no way commensurate to the vast number of extrajudicial executions and other human rights violations.”
In its report entitled “They just kill’: Ongoing extrajudicial executions and other violations in the Philippines’ ‘war on drugs,” the group noted that Bulacan is now the country’s “bloodiest killing field” due to the transfer of police officers who previously supervised “abusive operations” in Metro Manila.
READ: Bulacan now PH’s ‘bloodiest killing field’ — Amnesty International
‘Buy-bust’ narrative a script
Amnesty International also condemned the “buy-bust” narrative being used as a template of police reports in the province of Bulacan.
“This so-called ‘buy-bust’ narrative doesn’t meet the feeblest standards of credibility. As a forensic expert put it to Amnesty International, this justification ‘is so consistent, it’s a script,” the group said.
President Duterte’s war on drugs has been harshly criticized for its alleged violation of human rights.
Since July 2016, authorities said some 6,600 drug suspects have been killed in 153,276 operations nationwide.
Police claimed that most of the drug suspects were killed for resisting arrest and fighting back. (Editor: Gilbert S. Gaviola)
READ: 6,600 killed in war vs drugs from July 2016 to May 2019 — PNP
