7,800 Police in Philippines Punished for Deadly Drug Raids

MANILA, Philippines—Thousands of Philippine police officers have received administrative punishments with more than 2,000 dismissed for wrongdoings during raids where drug suspects were killed under the president’s crackdown, officials said on July 18.

Undersecretary Severo Catura, executive director of the Presidential Human Rights Committee secretariat, gestures as he listens to questions from reporters during a news conference in metropolitan Manila, Philippines, on July 18, 2019. Aaron Favila/AP Photo

MANILA, Philippines—Thousands of Philippine police officers have received administrative punishments with more than 2,000 dismissed for wrongdoings during raids where drug suspects were killed under the president’s crackdown, officials said on July 18.

Communications Assistant Secretary Marie Rafael Banaag told a news conference that 14,724 police were investigated for their involvement in police drug operations that led to deaths from July 2016 until last April. She said 7,867 of them received administrative punishments for unspecified lapses.