“These shocking deaths are a reminder that President Duterte’s lawless ‘war on drugs’ continues unabated and actually appears to be plumbing new depths of barbarity, with police routinely gunning down suspects, violating the key right to life and completely flouting due process.
“No one is bearing the brunt of this brutality more than the poorest communities in areas such as Bulacan province, a hotspot for extrajudicial executions since the president took power, and the scene of 21 of yesterday’s 32 killings.
“Duterte‘s recent statement that he might not be able to solve the Philippines’ drug-related problems during his current term are very concerning. With the indefinite extension of this failed strategy there is seemingly no end in sight to these killings.
“Coupled with Duterte’s troubling threat last month to abolish the country’s Human Rights Commission, the single institution that is carrying out thorough investigations into extrajudicial executions, it appears that human rights in the Philippines are in more peril than at any point since the president’s bloody reign began.”
“This shows clearly that there should be no further delay in establishing an internationally led investigation into the ‘war on drugs’ and the carnage currently taking place in the Philippines on a daily basis.”