The death of a South Korean businessman under the auspices of President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs as a cover for the kidnapping indicates the breakdown of rule of law under this administration, an international human rights watchdog said Thursday.
New-York based Human Rights Watch said that Duterte’s “war on drugs” only “widened the gateway” for policemen to get away with murder without being made accountable for the thousands of deaths in this administration.
“The killing by Philippine police of a South Korean businessman is an ominous indicator of the breakdown of rule of law under President Rodrigo Duterte,” said Phelim Kine, HRW deputy director.
“Jee’s extrajudicial execution bolsters allegations that ‘death squads,’ composed of police personnel operating in civilian clothes, are committing some and perhaps many of those killings,” he added.
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Several policemen were accused in the kidnapping and murder of Jee Ick Joo, a South Korean businessman based in Angeles City, then led his wife to believe he was alive for months to extort money from her, authorities said Wednesday. A Seoul-based news agency, citing police sources, said the victim appeared to have been strangled inside Camp Crame on the same day of his abduction.
The killing is the latest in a long series of criminal acts by members of the Philippine National Police, regarded as one of the nation’s most corrupt institutions, and has fueled concerns about its role enforcing President Rodrigo Duterte’s deadly war on drugs, Kine said.
“Philippine police have good reason to believe that they can literally get away with murder. Duterte has pledged effective immunity for police who kill in the name of his drug war,” he said.
“[Duterte] underscored his own personal contempt for human rights and rule of law on Dec. 12 when he publicly announced that he had personally killed suspected drug users and dealers while mayor of Davao City,” he added.
Since Duterte took office on June 30, his anti-drug campaign has claimed the lives of more than 6,000 people. They include 2,250 “suspected drug personalities” killed by police between July 1, 2016, and Jan. 17, 2017. Police have attributed those killings to suspects who “resisted arrest and shot at police officers,” but have not provided evidence that police acted in self-defense. An additional 3,603 alleged drug users and dealers have been killed by “unidentified gunmen” between July 1 and Jan. 9.
“Jee’s killing is notably grotesque even amidst a ‘war on drugs’ that has killed thousands,” Kine said.
“Duterte’s ‘war on drugs’ has widened the gateway for similar abuses. Until the Philippine government stops the drug war killings and seeks meaningful accountability for its thousands of victims, Jee Ick-joo’s murder may portend a flood of for-profit killings by cops,” he added.