MANILA: Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte confirmed a “death squad” existed under his watch to control crime when he was Davao City mayor, but gave conflicting accounts of its makeup, first saying it was run by police officers, then by gangsters.
When Duterte was president, two men including a former policeman had testified before the Senate they were part of an alleged hit squad in Davao they said killed at Duterte’s behest, but legislators at the time found no proof and Duterte’s aides dismissed the claims as fabrication.
Appearing on Monday before a Senate inquiry into his campaign against illegal drugs, Duterte identified “commanders” of the death squad which he said included former national police chief-turned senator Ronaldo dela Rosa, who was also present at the hearing.
“That is the job of the police,” said Duterte, who admitted to senators thousands of criminals died when he was Davao mayor.
He said he had never ordered the death squad to kill defenseless suspects, but did tell the group “to encourage criminals to fight back, and when they fought back, kill them so my problems in the city will be solved.”
But the 79 year-old Duterte later said gangsters — not police — made up his death squad, adding to the ambiguity surrounding the squad’s operations.
“I can make the confession now if you want,” Duterte said. “I had a death squad of seven, but they were not police, they were gangsters.”
Human rights groups documented about 1,400 suspicious killings in Davao during the 22 years Duterte was mayor and critics say the war on drugs he unleashed as president bore the same hallmarks.
More than 6,200 people were killed in police operations in the drugs campaign, which is also the subject of an International Criminal Court investigation.
Police reject allegations the killings were executions, saying the drug suspects violently resisted arrest and that authorities acted in self-defense.
Senator dela Rosa, who oversaw Duterte’s bloody crackdown when he was national police chief, previously said the death squads were “fiction.” In the hearing on Monday, he downplayed Duterte’s remarks, saying they should be taken as a joke.
Former Philippine President Duterte confirms existence of ‘death squad’
https://arab.news/6jgq6
Former Philippine President Duterte confirms existence of ‘death squad’
- Rodrigo Duterte: ‘I had a death squad of seven, but they were not police, they were gangsters’
- Human rights groups documented about 1,400 suspicious killings in Davao during the 22 years Duterte was mayor
UK Police arrest 86 people at prison protest for Palestine Action hunger striker
- Demonstration outside Wormwood Scrubs held in support of Umer Khalid
- Khalid 1 of 5 people charged in connection with break-in at RAF base last year
LONDON: A protest outside a prison in the UK in support of a man detained for supporting the banned group Palestine Action has led to the arrest of 86 people.
London’s Metropolitan Police said a group of demonstrators breached the grounds of Wormwood Scrubs prison in the capital, refused to leave when ordered to do so, and threatened officers. They were arrested on suspicion of aggravated trespass.
The group, several of whom attempted to gain access to the prison itself, were protesting in support of Umer Khalid, who is currently on hunger strike at the facility.
Khalid is one of five people charged in relation to a break-in by Palestine Action members at an RAF base at Brize Norton last year, in which two military aircraft were damaged.
Khalid, who denies the charges, is one of several people who are on or who have taken part in hunger strikes in recent months, all of whom have been held on similar charges for over a year without their cases being brought to trial.
A spokesperson for the UK’s Ministry of Justice said: “The escalation of the protest at HMP Wormwood Scrubs is completely unacceptable. While we support the right to peacefully protest, reports of trespassing and threats being made to staff and police officers are deeply concerning.
“At no point was prison security compromised. However, where individuals’ actions cause risk or actual harm to hardworking staff, this will not be taken lightly and those responsible can expect to face consequences.
“Prisoners are being managed in line with longstanding policy. This includes regular checks by medical professionals, heart monitoring and blood tests, and support to help them eat and drink again. If deemed appropriate by healthcare teams, prisoners will be taken to hospital.”
