Shift in drug war shows ‘disquiet’ in government campaign — HRW
ADVOCACY GROUP Human Rights Watch (HRW) in a statement on Tuesday, Oct. 31, said there is an “increasing disquiet among Philippine officials with (President Rodrigo R.) Duterte’s abusive anti-drug campaign,” given what the group called a “shift” by the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) in the government’s anti-drug campaign.
The statement by Phelim Kine, deputy director in HRW’s Asia Division, noted “a new proposal” by the DDB that shows “an implicit recognition of the public health aspect of illegal drug use” and that “recognizes the drug problem as both social and psychological.”
“It’s the latest sign of growing unease within the government about the ongoing crackdown,” HRW said.
The group also noted Mr. Duterte’s designating the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency as the sole enforcement agency under which the police is relegated.
HRW said, “Duterte implicitly acknowledged that the decision was linked to growing domestic and international furor over the drug campaign’s horrific human toll….”
“It’s uncertain whether Duterte will approve the DDB’s proposed shift in the government’s approach to illegal drugs. But what’s certain is that the government needs to stop the drug war killings and facilitate a United Nations-led international investigation as a first step to providing meaningful accountability for those deaths,” the group also said.
