The Philippine justice system is under threat as a result of a deadly surge in killings of lawyers and judges under President Duterte’s administration. The failure of the Philippine government to promote accountability mechanisms to protect the judiciary has facilitated a climate of impunity across the country, and put a vital arm of government under …
Tag Archives: Extrajudicial killings
The Philippines: ICC investigation into drug killings a crucial moment for justice
Responding to news that the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) will open a preliminary examination into the “war on drugs” in the Philippines, James Gomez, Amnesty International’s Director of Southeast Asia and the Pacific said: “This announcement marks a crucial moment for justice and accountability in the Philippines and offers a glimmer of …
Philippines: Political and human rights activists killed with impunity
Amnesty International is alarmed by the rising killings of human rights defenders and political activists in the Philippines. In recent weeks, a growing number of activists, community and religious leaders have been fatally shot by unknown gunmen. Fatalities include long-term activists Elisa Badayos, Eleuterio Moises, and religious leader Marcelito ‘Tito’ Paez in Neuva Ecija, Luzon. …
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Philippines: Police reinstatement in ‘drug war’ threatens catastrophic return to mass killing
Responding to the news that President Duterte has ordered the police to resume their role in supporting his administration’s so-called “war on drugs,” James Gomez, Amnesty International’s Director of Southeast Asia and the Pacific, said: “In returning police to his anti-drug operations yet again, President Duterte has consigned the poorest and most marginalised people in …
Philippines: Deadly consequences for children in ‘war on drugs’
A hearing in the Philippines Senate has exposed the abysmal failings of the police to protect children from the deadly consequences of the “war on drugs”, Amnesty International said. The Senate hearing convened on 24 August to address last week’s police killing of the 17-year-old student Kian Loyd Delos Santos, a case which has triggered …
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Philippines: 32 killed in a day as Duterte’s ‘war on drugs’ hits new levels of barbarity
After Philippine police killed 32 people in what is believed to be the highest death toll in a single day in President Rodrigo Duterte’s so-called “war on drugs”, Amnesty International’s Director for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, James Gomez, said: “These shocking deaths are a reminder that President Duterte’s lawless ‘war on drugs’ continues unabated …