Drug war deaths haunt Rodrigo Duterte

Manila: Families of alleged drugs suspects killed by Philippines police petitioned the Supreme Court on Thursday to force police to disclose evidence linking them to narcotics in the first legal challenge to President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs.

Lawyers representing families of four men killed in a rundown Manila neighbourhood in August, and one survivor, urged the top court to allow scrutiny of police operations because the official accounts were “sheer incongruity” and read like movie plots “from bygone days of Filipino cinema”. Mr Duterte’s war on drugs has caused an international outcry, with human rights groups alleging widespread summary executions by police operating with impunity.

The tough-talking President said he would stand by police if suspects were killed because they put up violent resistance. More than 7,000 people have been killed since Mr Duterte took office seven months ago, about 2,250 in anti-drugs operations and the rest are still being investigated. Police say many of those deaths are of gang members killing each other though critics blame many deaths on vigilantes in cahoots with police.

The petition asks the top court to compel police to suspend drugs operations in parts of the Quezon City area of Manila, where the four were killed, and make available the surveillance material and intelligence reports that had initially identified the victims as being drugs dealers. The families deny their kin were involved in drugs.

A spokesman for the Philippines National Police said the police legal office was studying the petition nd would respond later. Presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella said authorities had no involvement in extrajudicial killings and Mr Duterte would allow the legal process to take its course.

‘Controversial killings’

• Over 7,000 have been killed in the war against drugs since Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte took office seven months ago
• Nearly 2,250 persons were killed in anti-drugs operations and the rest of the cases are still being investigated
• Philippines police says many of those deaths are of gang members killing each other
• However, critics blame many deaths on vigilantes working in cahoots with the policemen