Philippine President: Drug users are not human beings.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte believes that killing drug addicts is normal because, in his view, they are not human beings.

An activist stands in front of the Philippine National Police headquarters on August 24, holding up a sign protesting extrajudicial killings related to President Rodrigo Duterte's anti-drug campaign. (Photo: AFP)

"Crimes against humanity? First of all, I must be frank with you: Are they human beings? What is your definition of a human being?" AFP quoted Duterte as saying yesterday during a visit to a military camp.

"Human rights? Use it appropriately and in the right context if you have a brain. You can't wage a war without killing," President Duterte said, adding that many drug addicts are beyond rehabilitation.

Duterte's comments came after Philippine National Police Chief Ronald Dela Rosa on August 26 called on drug users to kill drug dealers and burn down their homes.

Although Police Chief Rosa later apologized for his remarks, President Duterte defended him, saying, "That's my style. He was just following it."

According to police figures, 1,900 people have died in drug-related incidents in the Philippines since Duterte officially became president at the end of June. Of those, 657 were killed by police.

A number of UN officials, including Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, have condemned Duterte's support for extrajudicial killings in this anti-drug campaign.

According to VNE