As killings go on, Amnesty International demands urgent probe of Duterte drug war

A crime scene investigator of the Metro Manila police inspect the bodies of two men linked to illegal drugs and were found dumped on the streets of the metropolis. (FILE PHOTO BY RAFFY LERMA / INQUIRER)

MANILA, Philippines — In the midst of what it noted as unabated drug-related killings in the Philippines during the past three years, an international human rights group has pressed the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to investigate the Duterte administration’s “war on drugs.”

Amnesty International (AI), in its report – “They Just Kill” – made public Monday, demanded UNHRC to approve a resolution calling for an investigation into the drug war and “immediately initiate an independent, impartial and effective investigation into human rights violations in the ‘war on drugs,’ including the commission of crimes under international law.”

“Likewise, the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court must expedite its examination into the situation and open a full and thorough criminal investigation,” AI said.

Earlier, at least 28 nations have asked UNHRC to take further action on the human rights situation in the Philippines amid allegations of violations.

The draft resolution submitted by Iceland called on High Commissioner on Human Rights Michelle Bachelet to produce a “comprehensive written report” on the human rights situation in the Philippines and present it to the council’s 44th session “to be followed by an enhanced interactive dialogue.”

Malacañang has dismissed Iceland’s call as a mere intrusion in the Philippine government’s sovereignty.

READ: Malacañang rejects UN rights investigation of drug killings
READ: 28 states urge UN to report on human rights situation in PH

AI also lamented how the Duterte administration took steps to “thwart accountability for extrajudicial executions and other human rights violations” by undermining institutions that have attempted to address impunity, including the Senate, the House of Representatives, and the Supreme Court.

“At the international level, the government withdrew the country from the ICC (International Criminal Court) following the latter’s announcement that it will launch a preliminary examination into possible crimes in the context of the ‘war on drugs’,” the group said in its report.

Since July 2016, authorities said some 6,600 drug suspects have been killed in 153,276 anti-drug operations nationwide. Police claimed that most of the drug suspects were killed for resisting arrest and fighting back. (Editor: Katherine G. Adraneda)

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