A Philippine court on Wednesday acquitted 19 police officers of the killing during a 2016 prison shootout of a town mayor who had been detained for alleged involvement in illegal drugs.
The death of Albuera Mayor Rolando Espinosa in his cell in Leyte Province alarmed rights advocates, who have accused the government of turning a blind eye to extrajudicial executions and cover-ups in a crackdown on the narcotics trade.
The judge who acquitted the policemen was quoted by the Philippine Star newspaper as saying that prosecutors were not able to prove their guilt.
‘NO ACCOUNTABILITY’
Cristina Palabay of human rights group Karapatan criticized the outcome, saying: “Domestic accountability mechanisms have been inadequate and unresponsive to the dire needs of victims for justice and accountability.”
In a rare admission by the state that abuses might have taken place, the Philippine Department of Justice on Sunday said that it had found 154 police officers could be criminally liable over their conduct in the drug war following an initial investigation.
“Despite these steps, I remain disturbed by reports of continuing and severe human rights violations and abuses across the country, including killings by members of the security forces and law enforcement in counternarcotics and counterinsurgency operations — often in circumstances that indicate basic human rights standards have been ignored,” UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said in a statement.
STATE KILLINGS
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has approved a formal investigation into thousands of state killings of alleged drug dealers during Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s tenure.
Duterte has dared the ICC to put him on trial and publicly said he would happily “rot in jail” for killing people intent on destroying his country.
Duterte, who unleashed the drug war after winning election in 2016, once promised to defend the policemen in the case, saying he was he was ready to go to jail for them.
Police say more than 6,100 drug dealers have been killed by officers acting in self-defense during operations targeting the drugs trade since the president took office.
Rights advocates say that systematic cover-ups and executions of thousands of drug users and pushers alike have not been prosecuted.
Police have denied wrongdoing.
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