UN condemns spate of extrajudicial killings

Since the election of Rodrigo Duterte, 704 suspected drug dealers have been killed without being brought to trial. Yury Fedotov, Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC) denounces killings. During the election campaign Duterte vowed death to at least 100 thousand drug dealers.

Manila (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The hundreds of extrajudicial killings in recent months by the Philippine police to fight the drug trade "contravene the provisions of international conventions on the fight against drugs" and "do not serve the cause of justice”, says Yury Fedotov, Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC), who remarked that he was "very concerned" by the increase in killings of suspected drug dealers in the Philippines.

Fedotov added: "I join the United Nations Secretary-General in condemning the apparent endorsement of extrajudicial killing, which is illegal and a breach of fundamental rights and freedoms". The reference is to the president-elect Rodrigo Duterte who has vowed war on drug dealers and made the battle against drug trafficking the workhorse of his campaign.

As of May 10 this year (date of Duterte's election voctory, he took office June 30) at least 704 people have been killed for alleged involvement in drug trafficking. The Philippine National Police said that from the first to the 27th of July 316 suspected drug dealers were gunned down, an average of 11 per day. According to the site Inquirer.net the "list of killings" rises to 465 if you count from 30 June to 1 August.

The UNODC statement came after the International Consortium for drug policies (an NGO network) appealed to the UN to condemn the crimes perpetrated in the Philippines.

During the election campaign, Duterte vowed death to at least 100 thousand drug dealers, stating that he would throw their bodies in Manila Bay to feed the fish. Once elected, the president attacked the United Nations: "“F... you UN, you can’t even solve the Middle East carnage… couldn’t even lift a finger in Africa… shut up all of you.”

• Philippine
• un
• extrajudicial
• killings
• Duterte
• drug
• pushers
• police
• human
• rights