HRW urges UN to conduct probe on PHL’s ‘war on drugs’

The Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Monday 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.

"The Philippines’ descent into an all-out human rights crisis, with thousands of extrajudicial executions and a crackdown on basic liberties, has generated an outcry, but no strong action, from United Nations members-states. The killings started soon after Duterte took office in June 2016 and continue to this day," HRW Deputy Director Laila Matar said in a statement.

"UN member states stood by while thousands were killed, but it’s not too late for them to act to prevent the killing of thousands more. When the Council convenes in Geneva today, they have an opportunity to do just that – by urgently establishing an international investigation," she added.

Matar said that residents of impoverished urban areas in the Philippines have "good reason to fear" the possibility of having their family members get entangled with the Duterte administration's "murderous" campaign against illegal drugs.

The HRW cited data from the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights which showed that an estimated 27,000 people had been killed as of March 2019.

"The police deny this figure but do admit to killing more than 6,600 people, only underscoring the need for serious investigations, which the government has unsurprisingly been unwilling to undertake," Matar said.

Quoting Police Major General Mao Aplasca, PNP Directorate for Operations chief, Super Radyo dzBB earlier reported that the 6,600 deaths were cases of those who resisted arrest and shot it out with police operatives.

Also in its statement, the HRW claimed that those who express opposition to the drug war in the Philippines receive harassment and intimidation from the government.

"The intrepid human rights defenders, politicians and journalists willing to report on or denounce the 'drug war' have been harassed, threatened, and arrested," she said.

"The Philippines is a member of the UN Human Rights Council and thus is expected to uphold the highest standards of human rights. Instead, the government has refused to cooperate with UN rights mechanisms and even publicly smeared UN experts who condemn its violations," she added.

GMA News Online reached out to presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo for his comment on the matter but has yet to receive a response as of posting time.

United Nations human rights experts had recently called for an international inquiry into alleged unlawful deaths and police killings linked to a crackdown on drugs in the Philippines.

The Palace has since described the call as "intellectually challenged" and an "outrageous interference" to Philippine sovereignty. — RSJ, GMA News