By Jon Hiltz
In a direct response to the international community’s unified outcry, Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte acknowledged the incredible pushback he has seen for his human rights violations.
With his literal interpretation of take-no-prisoners, Duterte is making headlines for his delusional stance on eradicating illegal drugs in the Philippines within six months. Part of Duterte’s plan thus far has been to encourage his citizens to take up arms and kill suspected drug dealers, vigilante style.
The Philippine Daily Inquirer has started a ‘kill list’ to accurately report the hordes of people who have been murdered in the streets, simply on the suspicion of guilt by random citizens. As of August 1st, the publication recorded 465 deaths and counting. Some international outlets have reported over 700 victims in total.
Duterte acknowledged that some of the deaths may have been illegal killings, and the government will investigate, but he refused to back down from his shoot-to-kill stance on all drug suspects. The President is not biased either; he openly stated that politicians who are caught in the drug trade are to be shot as well.
A further unfortunate piece in this affront to humanity is that for the most part fear seems to be a strong motivator for the country’s citizens. AP has reported that over a half million drug dealers and users have given themselves up to police since the killings have started. Due to this overwhelming number, Duterte will now consider sanctioning military camps across the tropical nation to build rehab centers for those who surrender.
A famous photo that has been circulated among newspapers in the Philippines and internationally is that of a murdered rickshaw driver being held in the street by his grieving wife. Next to the driver lies a piece of a cardboard box turned into a makeshift sign that was left by the executioner. The sign reads ‘pusher’.
No evidence has surfaced that the murdered man was in the drug trade, but that did not stop Duterte to use the incident as a warning to others. “If you don’t want to die and get hurt, don’t pin your hopes on priests and human rights (groups). They can’t stop death,” he said showing a level of sympathy fit for an unstable dictator.
Despite Duterte scoffing at human rights, groups around the world continue to denounce these heinous acts and petitions have been sent to the UN to intervene in some way. For those in the cannabis community that want to take action, spreading the word about these horrors and encouraging people not to visit the Philippines until this comes to an end, is a step in the right direction.v
