“License to Kill”

Recommendations

Info

police involvement in abuses became overwhelming, the State Department suspended the sale of 26,000 military assault rifles to the police because of opposition from Senator Benjamin Cardin, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. 317 Cardin opposed the deal due to “concerns about human rights violations in the Philippines.” 318 Duterte responded with insults, saying he would buy weapons from Russia instead with no human rights conditions: Look at these monkeys. The 26,000 guns we wanted to buy from them, they don’t want to sell anymore. Sons of bitches. We have lots of bombs over here. Idiots. … Russia said, their ambassador said, “You come here to Russia, we have all what you want.” 319 In August, State Department spokesperson Anna Richey-Allen voiced concern over reports of extrajudicial drug killings saying, “We strongly urge the Philippines to ensure its law enforcement efforts are consistent with its human rights obligations.” 320 On September 29, US Senators Cardin and Patrick Leahy, author of a provision of US law that prohibits the United States from providing assistance to foreign security units that violate human rights with impunity, issued a joint statement criticizing drug-campaign human rights abuses. Leahy’s statement concluded that Duterte’s “war on drugs” “is not a situation in which there is occasional error or over-zealous application of force. This is systematic, widespread, brutal, and beyond the bounds for a constitutional democracy.” 321 317 Patricia Zengerle, “US stopped Philippines rifle sale that senator opposed,” Reuters, November 1, 2016, http://www.reuters.com/article/us-philippines-usa-rifles-idUSKBN12V2AM. 318 Ibid. 319 “President Rodrigo Roa Duterte Speech During Ceremonial Send-Off of 17 Vietnamese Fishermen,” Republic of the Philippines, Presidential Communications Operations Office, November 2, 2016, http://pcoo.gov.ph/nov-02-2016-presidentrodrigo-roa-dutertes-speech-during-the-ceremonial-send-off-of-17-vietnamese-fishermen/. 320 “US voices concern over extra-judicial killings in Philippines,” Reuters, August 22, 2016, http://www.reuters.com/article/us-philippines-duterte-usa-idUSKCN10X1MU. 321 “Senator Patrick Leahy and Senator Benjamin Cardin on Recent Developments in the Philippines and Indonesia,” Office of Senator Patrick Leahy, press release, September 27, 2016, https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/senator-patrick-leahyand-senator-benjamin-cardin-on-recent-developments-in-the-philippines-and-indonesia. LICENSE TO KILL 98
Duterte responded: “Why are you shooting the black people when they are on the ground? [You] can do it, but we can’t? … Do not pretend to be the moral conscience of the world.” 322 The US Embassy in Manila announced on December 14 that the US government would deny the Philippines government a new Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) grant due to “significant concerns around rule of law and civil liberties in the Philippines.” 323 The statement alluded to the government’s full-scale assault on basic rights by specifying that criteria for MCC aid recipients “includes not just a passing scorecard but also a demonstrated commitment to the rule of law, due process and respect for human rights.” The grant denial constitutes a significant loss to the Duterte government. The MCC disbursed $434 million to the Philippines from 2011 to 2016 and the decision to deny additional funding to the Philippines appears to scuttle a second five-year funding grant likely targeted at large-scale infrastructure projects that the MCC had agreed to in December 2015. 324 US suspension of security assistance to the Philippine police has not affected its assistance to the armed forces. In November, the State Department announced that the $5 million of assistance earmarked for law enforcement assistance in the $180 million 2017 fiscal assistance program would be shifted, with $4.5 million going to maritime law enforcement, and the remaining money to human rights training and internal reform efforts. According to then-State Department spokesperson John Kirby: Since the start of the drug campaign, our law enforcement assistance has been refocused away from narcotics control to supporting maritime security efforts and to providing human rights training to the Philippine National 322 “Duterte to US senators: ‘Do not interfere in PH affairs,’” Rappler, September 30, 2016, http://www.rappler.com/nation/147765-duterte-us-senators-do-not-interfere. 323 “US says aid package to the Philippines withheld over rights concerns,” Agence France-Presse, December 15, 2016, https://globalnation.inquirer.net/150707/us-says-aid-package-philippines-withheld-rights-concerns. The MCC is a US government foreign aid agency dedicated to poverty relief through funding to health, infrastructure, energy, and other sectors. See, “About MCC,” Millenium Challenge Corporation, https://www.mcc.gov/about. 324 Naki B. Mendoza, “The early agenda for MCC’s second Philippine compact,” Devex, July 19, 2016, https://www.devex.com/news/the-early-agenda-for-the-mcc-s-second-philippine-compact-88441. 99 HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH | MARCH 2017
Page 1:
H U M A N R I G H T S W A T C H “
Page 4 and 5:
Copyright © 2017 Human Rights Watc
Page 6 and 7:
Norberto Maderal, George Avanceña,
Page 9:
SUMMARY HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH | MARCH
Page 12 and 13:
On the afternoon of October 14, 201
Page 14 and 15:
Jayson Asuncion, 37, surrendered to
Page 16 and 17:
A barangay official told Rogie Seba
Page 18:
A family picture with the coffin of
Page 21 and 22:
Human Rights Watch examined the pol
Page 23 and 24:
Six masked armed men burst into a M
Page 25 and 26:
Relatives of Edward Sentorias, 34,
Page 28 and 29:
and his top subordinates have denie
Page 31 and 32:
“Hitler massacred three million J
Page 33 and 34:
Methodology From October 2016 to Ja
Page 35 and 36:
eal crime wave unleashed by his own
Page 37 and 38:
Duterte was Davao City mayor for mo
Page 39 and 40:
sanctioned death squads in cities i
Page 41 and 42:
“And if in the process you kill o
Page 43 and 44:
The human rights [activists] said I
Page 45 and 46:
Adviser Hermogenes Esperon confirme
Page 47 and 48:
meant to indicate that police opera
Page 49 and 50:
the suspects had been in police cus
Page 51 and 52:
uyer was to purchase one (1) piece
Page 53 and 54:
Media accounts of the incident said
Page 55 and 56: Approximately 30 minutes after the
Page 57 and 58: no reason to lie about this. That i
Page 59 and 60: Napoleon Miras Ai-Ai, July 24 Baran
Page 61 and 62: [T]he suspect sensed that he was be
Page 63 and 64: Noel Alberto, “Sarah,” Septembe
Page 65 and 66: Antonio’s relatives believe that
Page 67 and 68: cops came on a motorbike. The unifo
Page 69 and 70: locked off the area and told the fa
Page 71 and 72: thereafter, gunshots rang out, and
Page 73 and 74: Virgilio Mirano, September 27 Baran
Page 75 and 76: Jury Jana, October 4 Baragay 120, C
Page 77 and 78: At about 11 p.m. on October 4, Visd
Page 79 and 80: the police. 218 On October 20, the
Page 81 and 82: ody. They covered the body with a b
Page 83 and 84: Heart de Chavez, January 10; “Joa
Page 85 and 86: killings. The police report states
Page 87 and 88: III. Prohibition of Extrajudicial E
Page 89 and 90: Philippine Law The Philippine Const
Page 91 and 92: y the physical perpetrators needs t
Page 93 and 94: Unlike war crimes, crimes against h
Page 95 and 96: If I became president, you all shou
Page 97 and 98: etter believe me.” 296 Duterte to
Page 99 and 100: On September 20, Duterte responded
Page 101 and 102: noted, since Duterte has taken offi
Page 103 and 104: Promised Immunity to Subordinate Co
Page 105: V. International Response to Dutert
Page 109 and 110: Shortly after the November election
Page 111 and 112: agree to be together or not, whethe
Page 113 and 114: Ahead of Duterte’s state visit to
Page 115 and 116: statement, stating, “Please formu
Page 117 and 118: suspected drug dealers and drug use
Page 119 and 120: The International Criminal Court In
Page 121 and 122: • End the criminalization of the
Page 123 and 124: To the Department of Health • Enc
Page 125 and 126: • Consider reviewing the Philippi
Page 127 and 128: Annex I: Excerpts from Police Repor
Page 129 and 130: direction of the approaching lawmen
Page 131 and 132: Napoleon Miras Ai-Ai, alias “Nono
Page 133 and 134: Garry Catungal, alias “Opay,” o
show all

“License to Kill”

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?