Philippinen. Philippines: Endorse UN Inquiry into ‘Drug War’ Killings. Independent Investigation Needed to Clarify Death Toll, Promote Accountability.

(New York) – The Philippine government should urgently support the creation of a United Nations-led investigation into the thousands of killings linked to its “war on drugs,” Human Rights Watch said today. A UN-led probe would both help clarify the disparity in official and independent estimates of killings in the anti-drug campaign and facilitate accountability for unlawful deaths.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) assert that 3,968 drug suspects died in “legitimate police operations” from July 2016 to January 17, 2018. However, independent estimates of deaths linked to the “drug war” are considerably higher. The nongovernmental groups Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates and the International Drug Policy Consortium, as well as media outlets including the Sydney Morning Herald, estimate the number of drug war deaths at more than 12,000. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines estimates that there have been more than 13,000 killings linked to the anti-drug campaign. By any measure, even the PNP’s estimate of drug war deaths is an alarming number of killings that warrant an independent investigation. (HRW – Human Rights Watch, 01.02.2018)

https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/02/01/philippines-endorse-un-inquiry-drug-war-killings