Responding to comments from the Philippines’ Senate on Amnesty International’s latest report, “If you are poor, you are killed”: Extrajudicial executions in the Philippines’ “War on Drugs”, Champa Patel, the human rights organization’s Director for Southeast Asia and the Pacific said:
“Amnesty International continues to call on the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights to re-open its enquiry on extrajudicial executions in the context of the so-called war on drugs.
“Any steps towards credible investigations, that will see accountability of those involved in the serious crimes documented in our latest report, will be a positive move. In the Philippines, what we found are patterns of human rights violations – deliberate and widespread killings, which appear to be systematic, planned and organized by authorities in the anti-drug campaign. And that these may constitute crimes against humanity.
“Our conclusions are based on interviews with 110 people, including witnesses and family members of those who have been killed, and a large variety of documents, including police reports. These were corroborated by a police officer and two paid killers. The report is publicly available and we welcome scrutiny of the facts by the senate and other interested parties. Amnesty International would also be glad to meet with the authorities and discuss further our recommendations and findings.”
