© AFP/Getty
Police officers investigate the dead body of an alleged drug dealer, his face covered with packing tape on a street in Manila.
Today, the President of the Philippines delivered his "
State of the Nation Address." He vowed to show "
no mercy" in his bloody war on drugs and crime, warning criminals that priests and human rights advocates cannot protect them from being killed.
Rodrigo Duterte was elected last month after promising to wipe out crime and corruption throughout the country, relying heavily on an anti-drug campaign centered around murdering people who use or sell drugs.
Duterte has encouraged law enforcement, and even civilians, to kill people suspected of selling drugs and people who struggle with addiction. He
said, "If you know of any addicts, go ahead and kill them yourself as getting their parents to do it would be too painful."
© AFP: Ted Aljibe
Mass surrender of drug users and pushers.
"I strongly suspect that Filipinos will come to regret their election of a president who expresses such contempt for basic principles of due process and human rights,' said Ethan Nadelmann, Executive Director of the Drug Policy Alliance. "A government that condones extra-judicial killings of people who use or sell drugs will eventually turn its terror on others - it's just a matter of time."
During his campaign, Duterte estimated that 100,000 people would die as a result of this crackdown. According to
AFP, Duterte has not been deterred by the human rights concerns opponents have raised about
lack of due process. Additionally, as part of his initiative, Duterte promises to
fully pardon anyone involved with the killing of people who use or sell drugs. Last week, police announced a plan to erect a large electronic billboard outside their headquarters in Manila that will keep track of all these drug-related killings.
Comment: Further developments on Russian-Turkish relations: