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Friday, March 3, 2017
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MANILA – A human rights watchdog on Thursday accused the police in the Philippines of falsifying evidence to justify unlawful killings in the government’s war on drugs that has caused more than 7,000 deaths, and pointed the finger at President Rodrigo Duterte as being ultimately responsible.
Human Rights Watch said in a report that Duterte and other senior officials instigated and incited the killings of drug suspects in a campaign that could amount to crimes against humanity.
The United Nations should create an independent investigation to determine responsibility and ensure accountability, the report said.
Presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella called the report “thoughtless and irresponsible.”
Police have repeatedly carried out extrajudicial killings of drug suspects, then falsely claimed self-defense, and planted guns, spent bullets or drugs on the bodies, the report from the New York-based group said.
“Our investigations into the Philippine drug war found that police routinely kill drug suspects in cold blood and then cover up their crime by planting drugs and guns at the scene,” said Peter Bouckaert, emergencies director at Human Rights Watch and author of the report. “President Duterte’s role in these killings makes him ultimately responsible for the deaths of thousands.”
Human Rights Watch said masked gunmen taking part in killings appeared to be working closely with the police, casting doubt on government claims that vigilantes or rival gangs are behind majority of the killings.
In several instances it investigated, suspects in police custody were later found dead and classified by police as “found bodies” or “deaths under investigation,” said the group.
The report draws heavily on interviews in metropolitan Manila with 28 family members of victims, witnesses to police killings, journalists, and human rights activists. It also references initial police reports of killings, which Human Rights Watch said its field research consistently contradicted.
Abella sought to debunk the allegations, saying these must be “substantiated by solid evidence, eyewitness account and sworn statement/affidavit.”
“Recovered firearms from drug suspects are kept in custody and subsequently presented before legal proceedings. Authorities have noted that there are cases when recovered firearms were traced to have been used in other crimes; most of these are loose and/or unregistered,” Abella said.
He added: “In short, all these accusations of circumventing police procedures should be proven in a competent court and, if found meritorious, should result in appropriate sanctions against the perpetrators. Failing these, such claims are mere hearsay.”
On the contrary the Philippines averted a human rights calamity when “more than 1.1 million drug pushers and addicts have voluntarily submitted themselves to authorities,” Abella said.
But the Human Rights Watch report said there were indications that some of those who surrendered were forced to do so out of fear for their lives, and some of them were later killed, according to their relatives.
Abella also labeled as mere engaging in “propaganda” calls by several “interest groups” for foreign governments to suspend assistance to the Philippines based on drug-related killings.
“President Duterte has won on a platform for genuine change, and this will remain as his only agenda to serve the interest of the people,” said the spokesman. (Reports from The Associated Press and ABS-CBN News)
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