Human Rights Watch on Duterte and Death Squad: ‘Defending the indefensible’.
June 3, 2015 ·
Human Rights Watch (HRW) deputy Asia director Phelim Kine on Monday, May 25, called Davao Mayor Rodrigo Duterte’s “justification” of the need for a so-called “death squad” to solve crime in his city as merely an “attempted defense of the indefensible.” Duterte made – and continues to make – national headlines for his unapologetic and tough stand against crime in his city. He has long been linked to the Davao Death Squad (DDS), a loose group of vigilantes in the city that target known criminals. Over the weekend Duterte said “Am I the death squad? True. That is true.” on his regular local TV show.
