Amnesty International flags Philippines’ human rights situation in report

The state of human rights in the Philippines was marked by “increased lawlessness and violence” due mainly to the government’s war on drugs, according to this year’s annual report by London-based human rights group Amnesty International (AI).

In its report on “The State of the World’s Human Rights” released Thursday, the Nobel laureate also noted Philippine President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s “contempt” for human rights and his government’s antidrug campaign, which was ‘characterized by mass killings, mostly of people from poor and marginalized groups, including children.” AI further reported: “The deliberate, unlawful and widespread killings of thousands of alleged drug offenders appeared to be systematic, planned, organized and encouraged by the authorities, and may have constituted crimes against humanity.” — Camille A. Aguinaldo