Report violations, Human Rights Watch advocate asks

At a time when extra-judicial killings are rampant, a human rights advocate urged the public to “push back” by having the courage to report any violation of the rule of law and human rights abuses to authorities or the media.

Carlos Conde, Philippines researcher of Human Rights Watch, also asked the people to hold accountable those who instigate and encourage violence and human rights abuses.

“They need to push back and show to the President that he can’t get away with this,” he told SunStar journalists during a roundtable discussion last Tuesday.

Conde, a former journalist, said that concerned agencies should look into President Rodrigo Duterte’s pronouncements against criminals and politicians, and whether or not these encouraged and resulted in the spate of killings.

For Conde, Duterte’s style of government, like resorting to violence, is his only “political currency” to distinguish himself from traditional politicians.

“Without it, he (Duterte) has nothing. That’s the only thing he can show that he is different,” he said.

The fact that Duterte ruled Davao City for two decades using violence could say it all, said Conde. “There is an epidemic of death squads in the country.”

Citing its own data, Human Rights Watch said that Duterte’s “war on drugs” has led to the death of over 12,000 Filipinos to date, mostly urban poor, since he assumed office on June 30, 2016.

At least 2,555 of the killings have been attributed to the police, and the group put the blame on Duterte and his senior officials for “instigating and inciting the killings in a campaign that could amount to crimes against humanity.”

Research made by Human Rights Watch showed that some police officers are falsifying evidence to justify unlawful killings.

The group recalled that Duterte addressed the crowd of over 300,000 on the eve of his victory on May 9, 2016: “If I make it to the presidential palace, I will do just what I did as mayor. You drug pushers, holdup men, you better get out because I’ll kill you.”

But Conde lamented that Duterte’s war against drug targets only the poorest of the poor, who have less access to the justice system.