The human rights situation in the Philippines right now is dominated by [a] very alarming surge in police killings of suspected drug dealers and users,” says Phelim Kine, Deputy Director of the Asia Division at Human Rights Watch.
A wave of drug-related murders spiked when Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte took office on June 30.
Duterte ran on a platform of cracking down on crime. Duterte has promised to pardon any abuses by law enforcement working to achieve that goal.