Rodrigo Duterte steps up his bloody drug war
Police in the Philippines shoot dead 13 people and arrest 100 more in a single day
Officers in the Philippines killed more than a dozen people during a major anti-drug operation yesterday, a police chief has confirmed.
More than 100 suspected drug dealers and users were also arrested during a series of raids in the Bulacan province, just north of the capital Manila, the Associated Press reports.
“These operations are part of our stepped-up campaign against drugs and all other forms of criminality in the province,” Bulacan police chief Romeo Caramat said in a statement yesterday. “Unfortunately, 13 of the suspects were killed when our officers fired in self-defence.”
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The killings are the latest in a long and bloody war on drugs waged by President Rodrigo Duterte since he came to power in 2016.
Duterte has authorised police to crack down on illegal drug use, urging them to kill suspects and promising to protect them from prosecution. He has also endorsed murderous vigilante gangs.
Human Rights Watch estimates that more than 12,000 suspected drug users and dealers have been killed by police and vigilantes. Many of the victims are from poor families in urban centres.
Earlier this month, Duterte ordered police and soldiers not to cooperate with international groups investigating mass killings.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
“When it comes to human rights, or whoever rapporteur it is, my order to you: Do not answer. Do not bother,” he told elite armed police units in Davao.
His warning came after an International Criminal Court prosecutor opened a preliminary examination into a complaint accusing Duterte and top officials of crimes against humanity.
“Duterte says he welcomes that and is willing to ‘rot in jail’ to protect Filipinos,” Reuters reports.
The president later announced that the Philippines would be withdrawing from the ICC. He called on other nations to follow suit.
-
‘The nonviolence resulted from the organizers’ message’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
NY attorney general asks public for ICE raid footageSpeed Read Rep. Dan Goldman claims ICE wrongly detained four US citizens in the Canal Street raid and held them for a whole day without charges
-
Trump’s huge ballroom to replace razed East WingSpeed Read The White House’s east wing is being torn down amid ballroom construction
-
Sanae Takaichi: Japan’s Iron Lady set to be the country’s first woman prime ministerIn the Spotlight Takaichi is a member of Japan’s conservative, nationalist Liberal Democratic Party
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of TaiwanIn the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdownIN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American citiesUnder the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctionsThe Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
-
Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designationThe Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago