HRC34 Side Event – Extrajudicial Killings in the Philippines: The War on Drugs
2 March 2017 6:07 pm
Date: Friday 3 March
Time: 13:00-14:30
Venue: Room XXIII, Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland
Since the inauguration of President Rodrigo Duterte on 30 June 2016 and his call for a ‘war on drugs’, Philippine National Police officers and unidentified vigilantes have killed more than 7000 people. The anti-drug campaign, ‘Operation Double Barrel’, has targeted suspected drug dealers and users ostensibly to be arrested but in practice it has become a campaign of extrajudicial execution in impoverished areas of Manila and other urban areas. Duterte’s outspoken endorsement of the campaign implicates him and other senior officials in instigating and inciting murder.
This side event will provide an update from the ground, and will reflect on how to best address these important human rights concerns.
Panelists:
- Agnes Callamard, Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial Killings and Executions,
- Peter Bouckaert, Emergencies Director, Human Rights Watch,
- Rosanna Ocampo, UN Advocacy Programme Officer, FORUM-ASIA
- Rachel Chhoa-Howard, Philippines Researcher, Amnesty International.
Moderator: John Fisher, Geneva Director, Human Rights Watch
Sponsors: Human Rights Watch, FORUM-ASIA, Amnesty International
