Duterte’s police officers jailed over teen’s murder

Three Philippine policemen have been jailed for at least 20 years for shooting an unarmed 17-year-old boy in one of the most notorious of thousands of killings carried out in the name of President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs.

The officers were convicted of the murder last year of Kian Delos Santos in Caloocan, near Manila, the only conviction so far among the police and vigilantes who have acted with the approval and encouragement of the president.

In the past Duterte has promised to pardon police convicted of killing people involved in the drug trade, but after street protests over the death of Delos Santos even Duterte expressed his revulsion. Arnel Oares, Jeremias Pereda and Jerwin Cruz shot dead Delos Santos during a three-day operation against alleged drug figures. They claimed that the boy was a drugs mule who had pulled a gun on the arresting officers.

But security camera footage showed the policemen dragging the boy towards a pig sty where his body was found.

Witnesses heard him pleading for his life, asking the officers to stop, because he had a school test the following day.

Evidence showed that he was shot as he lay on the ground in a foetal position.

Members of Delos Santos’ family wept as the verdicts were read out. – The Times