MANILA, Philippines—Most of the thousands of killings of poor suspects under Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s anti-drug crackdown appear to be extrajudicial executions and may constitute crimes against humanity, Amnesty International said Wednesday.
The London-based human rights group urged Duterte’s government to adopt an approach that respects human rights in its fight against drugs and crime, and called on the police and judiciary to prosecute officers involved in unlawful killings.
After investigating the deaths of 59 people, the group said it concluded that “the vast majority of these killings appear to have been extrajudicial executions.”
Amnesty International campaigner Wilnor Papa, left, gestures during a video news conference with their London counterpart Rachel Chhoa-Howard and Sis. Maria Vida Cordero, right, in suburban Quezon city, northeast of Manila, Philippines. AP Photo/Bullit Marquez
