Palace denies shoot-to-kill order vs drug suspects

The palace yesterday insisted that President Duterte didn’t issue a ‘written’ shoot-to-kill orders against people involved in the illegal drug trade. According to Presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella, the written order was directed for the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). The order was to shoot only to protect themselves.

Photo by Robinson Ninal

“There are two positions there, right? One is, if you see a suspect, you shoot and kill, right? The other one is that—the written directive really is: that you are to defend yourself, if they resist arrest,” Abella said.


Abella’s statement was a reaction following the criticism of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein who said that “statements of scorn for international human rights law (that) display a striking lack of understanding of our human rights institutions and the principles which keep societies safe.”

Al Hussein also said that “empowering police forces to shoot to kill any individual whom they claim to be a suspect of drug crimes, with or without evidence, undermines justice.” However, Abella insisted that there was no written order.

He said that the PNP and the AFP officers were properly given instructions before they left for their operations. “If you listen to him (Duterte), the statements… his messages are layered and part of this is addressed to criminals… he justified his tendency to threaten criminals. So part of the messaging is really addressed to criminals,” Abella explained.

Meanwhile, Al Hussein emphasized the right of Filipinos to judicial institutions that operate under due process guarantees and police force that serves justice. He also encouraged the administration to invite UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary, or arbitrary executions so the problems could be properly dealt with. ASCS

Source: Philstar

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