AI urges Trump to tell Duterte to end ‘unlawful’ killings

As US President Donald Trump is set to meet top world leaders during the 31st Association of Southeast Asian (ASEAN) Summit this week, human rights group Amnesty International (AI) Philippines called on the American chief executive to raise alleged human rights violations and extrajudicial killings under President Rodrigo Duterte’s campaign against illegal drugs.

“President Trump has spoken about his ability to talk tough with foreign leaders, and this week’s ASEAN summit presents a renewed opportunity to raise the horrifying human rights abuses that the region is facing,” AI Philippines director Butch Olano said during a briefing in Manila on Saturday.

“When he [Trump] comes face-to-face with President Duterte, he’ll be meeting a man whose policies are responsible for thousands of unlawful killings, including dozens of children and the extrajudicial execution of many others, which may constitute crimes against humanity,” Olano said.

The human rights group official emphasized that Trump must not keep ignoring the “grave human-rights situation” in the Philippines.

“The US President’s willingness to challenge the appalling record of President Duterte’s ‘war on drugs’ is a crucial test of his administration’s commitment to upholding and defending human rights,” Olano said.

“Now is the time for President Trump to make clear to President Duterte that he must end extrajudicial killings, impunity of police abuses, and attacks on human rights defenders,” he added.

The AI official also urged Trump to review and restrict the $32-million US assistance that goes to the Philippine National Police to ensure that “no US assistance supports human right violations, including those executed in the name of ‘war on drugs.’”

According to the PNP, around 6,140 drug suspects have been killed since the drug war launched in June 2016 until September this year.

The AI, however, claims that the number could have reached as many as 12,000 since the administration’s campaign started. —Ted Cordero/ALG, GMA News