drug war

Human Rights
By
Duterte: ‘Of course’ poor are biggest casualty in drug war

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has dropped all pretenses that his infamous drug war is anything but a war on the poor. “They say, ‘Duterte kills the poor.’ I haven’t heard of the children of [billionaires] Lucio Tan or Gokongwei selling drugs,” the president said in a speech on Saturday, according to Rappler. “Of course it will be the poor people, because the poor are ignorant and more likely to be hit.”

Human Rights
By
Duterte pivots in drug war, calls off police, calls in military

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has suspended police from drug operations amid a corruption probe, but his bloody war on drugs will continue under the military and drug enforcement agency until the end of his term in 2022. Despite the investigation, Amnesty International warned in a report released Tuesday that the corruption traces to the “very top of government,” and the resulting killings that target the poor may amount to crimes against humanity.