By Rhodina Villanueva
MANILA, Philippines - The group Human Rights Watch has accused President Duterte of instigating and inciting the killings of mostly urban poor members in his war against drugs, a condition that can be considered a crime against humanity.
“His first six months in office has been a human rights calamity for the Philippines,” read the background portion of the 117-page report titled “License to Kill: Philippine Police Killings in Duterte’s War on Drugs.”
“As president, Duterte has a legal responsibility to publicly direct state security forces to end their campaign of extrajudicial executions of suspected drug dealers and users,” said Peter Bouckaert, emergencies director at Human Rights Watch and author of the report.
“Duterte and his chief subordinates could be held criminally liable in the Philippines or by a court abroad for their role in these killings. No evidence thus far shows that Duterte planned or ordered specific extrajudicial killings, but his repeated calls for killings as part of his anti-drug campaign could constitute acts instigating law enforcement to commit murder. His statements encouraging the general population to commit vigilante violence against suspected drug users could be criminal incitement,” the New York-based group pointed out in the report.
It added, “Duterte, senior officials and others implicated in unlawful killings could also be held liable for crimes against humanity, which are serious offenses committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack on a civilian population. The numerous and seemingly organized deadly attacks on the publicly targeted group of drug suspects could amount to crimes against humanity as defined by the International Criminal Court, of which the Philippines is a member.”
“The United Nations should urgently create an independent, international investigation into the killings to determine responsibility and ensure mechanisms for accountability,” it also said.
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