United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet on Friday, February 26, expressed concern over still rising number of deaths in the hands of the Philippine National Police (PNP).
“The continued high number of killings by police remain a serious concern,” she said in a speech during the 46th session of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC).
Bachelet’s update comes days after Philippine Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra announced that an inter-agency panel found that police did not follow protocols in more than half of the anti-drug operations it reviewed.
The review panel was launched in June 2020, following a scathing report by Bachelet’s office on Duterte’s war on drugs. It found that the flagship campaign of the administration was being carried out without due process and that the local system wasn’t enough to exact accountability over the killings.
Police data showed that, as of January 31, at least 6,039 suspected drug personalities had been killed during police operations. Human rights groups, meanwhile, estimate a higher 27,000 to 30,000 victims, including those killed by alleged vigilantes.
‘Effective results’ sought
Bachelet on Friday said that her office was “working with a range of partners” to implement an October 2020 resolution by the UNHRC, which offered “technical assistance” to the Duterte government to address the widespread killings in the country.
“A UN joint program on human rights is being finalized, and I will continue to urge the genuine and meaningful participation of all possible constituencies so that it can deliver effective results,” she said.
Human rights groups, meanwhile, argued that the findings of the government’s panel is enough reason to end the violent drug war.
Duterte’s anti-illegal drugs campaign is the subject of a case before the Supreme Court. A Rappler investigation showed that the Duterte government was able to stall the case by submitting “rubbish” files on police anti-drug operations. It has been pending since 2018.
The International Criminal Court is expected to decide by the first half of 2021 whether or not to open a formal investigation into the Philippine killings. – Rappler.com
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