Philippine President: Drug users are not human

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said it was normal to kill drug addicts because to him they were not human.

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

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

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

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 Chief Rosa later apologized for his remarks, President Duterte defended him, saying "that's my style. He just followed it."

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

A series of United Nations officials, including Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, have condemned Mr Duterte's support for extrajudicial killings in his anti-drug campaign.

According to VNE