Rights watchdog hits PNP for 'undercounting' drug war killings under Marcos

A relative of a victim of an extra-judicial killing attends a memorial mass ahead of All Soul's Day to remember loved ones slain in the government's war on drugs, at the Commission on Human Rights in Manila on October 29, 2021.

AFP / Jam Sta. Rosa

MANILA, Philippines — International rights watchdog Human Rights Watch hit the Philippine National Police Friday for what it said was the latter's "downplaying" and "undercounting" of drug war deaths under the Marcos Jr. administration. 

Police Gen. Rodolfo Azurin, PNP chief, said in a forum organized by the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines on Monday that 32 have died in PNP operations while 14 others were killed by agents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency. 

He also claimed that the number of drug suspects who had been killed over the past five months was "very minimal" as the PNP opted to focus on engaging other sectors.

Full Story: https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2022/11/18/2224747/rights-watchdog-hits-pnp-undercounting-drug-war-killings-under-marcos