Ex-President Duterte, Former Top Officials Unpunished for ‘Drug War’ Abuses

The administration of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. initiated some human rights improvements in 2024 but failed to address past and ongoing violations, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2025. “Drug war” killings persisted throughout the year amid government vows to investigate and prosecute extrajudicial killings, but no legal action was taken against officials of the previous Rodrigo Duterte administration despite new evidence of abuses.

For the 546-page world report, in its 35th edition, Human Rights Watch reviewed human rights practices in more than 100 countries. In much of the world, Executive Director Tirana Hassan writes in her introductory essay, governments cracked down and wrongfully arrested and imprisoned political opponents, activists, and journalists. Armed groups and government forces unlawfully killed civilians, drove many from their homes, and blocked access to humanitarian aid. In many of the more than 70 national elections in 2024, authoritarian leaders gained ground with their discriminatory rhetoric and policies.

“While President Marcos sent a positive message that he intends to address serious human rights concerns in the Philippines, he needs to match his words with action,” said Bryony Lau, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “New revelations about the role of senior Duterte administration and police officials in ‘drug war’ atrocities highlight the need for sweeping reforms in law enforcement.”

The Department of Justice created a task force in November to investigate “drug war” killings following explosive hearings in Congress which began in August, about the role of the police, and Duterte’s admission that he had a “death squad” while mayor of Davao City and, as president, had “encouraged” police officers to kill drug suspects.

The police and unidentified assailants killed 332 drug suspects across the Philippines between January and November 15, 2024, according to a local monitoring group. Since Marcos took office on July 1, 2022, 841 have died in drug-related killings.
There has been no improvement in accountability for “drug war” killings in 2024, as police officers have been convicted in only four cases since 2018. The International Criminal Court is still investigating possible crimes against humanity in the Philippines’ “drug war,” but the Marcos administration refuses to cooperate with the court.

The authorities harass and prosecute, without basis, civil society activists through “red-tagging,” the dangerous practice of claiming individuals or organizations have ties to the communist insurgency. Human rights groups have reported four new enforced disappearances in 2024. Many victims are activists, including land and environmental defenders.

President Marcos should promptly carry out the sweeping reforms needed to improve the country’s human rights situation, Human Rights Watch said. The Philippines’ international partners should urge the government to deliver accountability for abuses committed in the “war on drugs,” other extrajudicial killings, and enforced disappearances.

For more Human Rights Watch reporting on the Philippines, please visit:
https://www.hrw.org/asia/philippines