Official drug war death toll a most serious concern –UN rights chief

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet on Monday said that amid the significant number of killings related to the Philippines' anti-drugs campaign, the number of deaths continued to rise.

"My Office is following the situation of human rights in the Philippines very closely. The extraordinarily high number of deaths – and persistent reports of extrajudicial killings – in the context of campaigns against drug use continue," Bachelet said during the 41st session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva.

"Even the officially confirmed number of 5,425 deaths would be a matter of most serious concern for any country."

However, Human Rights Watch (HRW) cited data from the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, estimated 27,000 people had been killed as of March 2019.

According to data from the Philippine National Police, the number of drug suspects killed while resisting arrest in police drugs operations was 6,600 as of the end of May 2019

Moreover, Bachelet said that threats from senior government officials against human rights defenders, journalist, lawyers, and members of the Catholic clergy incubated a "very real risk of violence" against them and undermined both the rule of law and the right to freedom of expression.

She suggested that transparency on information and investigations on supposed human rights violations were needed to "dispel any false allegations and help regain trust for the authorities."

Earlier this month, several UN experts sought an international inquiry on alleged unlawful deaths and police killings linked to the administration's campaign against illegal drugs—a call that was described by Malacañang as "intellectually challenged" and an "outrageous interference" to Philippine sovereignty.

Bachelet said that said welcomed the recent statements by Special Rapporteurs calling for action by the Council

On Monday, the HRW urged the United Nations to conduct an investigation on the Philippines' "war on drugs" as it pointed out that member-states "stood by" as the killings continued. — Dona Magsino/DVM, GMA News