Page 10 - ARUBA TODAY

A10 WORLD NEWS
Friday 30 November 2018

3 Filipino policemen convicted of murder in brutal drug war

By JIM GOMEZ mass murder complaints
Associated Press before the International
MANILA, Philippines (AP) Criminal Court, which he
— A Philippine court found said would never acquire
three police officers guilty jurisdiction over him.
on Thursday of killing a Delos Santos's killing on
student they alleged was Aug. 16, 2017, sparked an
a drug dealer, in the first outcry and a televised Sen-
known such conviction un- ate inquiry, and prompt-
der the president's deadly ed Duterte to temporar-
crackdown on drugs. ily order a small anti-drug
Regional Trial Court Presid- agency with only about a
ing Judge Rodolfo Azu- thousand men to oversee
cena Jr. ruled the officers the campaign against ille-
murdered Kian Loyd de- gal drugs. The crackdown
los Santos during a raid in had been previously led by
Caloocan city's slums in the the national police, which
Manila metropolis last year. Duterte once described as
It rejected the policemen's "corrupt to the core."
claim that the 17-year-old The policemen claimed
fired back while resisting ar- delos Santos was a drug
rest. dealer who fired at officers
The court sentenced the Activists light candles in front of the picture of 17-year-old student Kian Loyd delos Santos in during the raid, but his fam-
officers, Arnel Oares, Jer- Caloocan, metropolitan Manila, Philippines on Thursday, Nov. 29, 2018. ily and witnesses testified in
emias Pereda and Jerwin Associated Press official investigations that
Cruz, to be imprisoned for he was shot in a dark alley
up to 40 years without pa- death and has assured po- government's anti-illegal gruesome climate of kill- near a creek as he plead-
role, although they can ap- lice he would back them drug campaign is based on ing and impunity in the ed for his life.
peal. Aside from the prison up in ways that human accountability. Therefore, country, this verdict sends Witnesses pointed to evi-
term, the policemen, who rights watchdogs say have we do not — and we will the message that there is dence, including a village
appeared in court in hand- encouraged law enforcers never — tolerate unjustified hope and justice. And we security video, which they
cuffs and yellow detainee to act with impunity. police violence, brutality or will fight for more light and said showed two of the
shirts, were ordered to pay "A shoot first, think later at- killing," presidential spokes- truth until the darkness can- police officers dragging
damages to Santos's im- titude can never be coun- man and chief legal coun- not overcome them." away the teenager shortly
poverished family. tenanced in a civilized so- sel Salvador Panelo told a Hontiveros said the num- before shots rang out and
President Rodrigo Duterte's ciety. Never has homicide news conference. bers of drug killings, which he was found fatally shot in
crackdown, which has or murder been a func- Opposition Sen. Risa Hon- started to rise when Duterte the head, holding a pistol
left thousands of suspects tion of law enforcement," tiveros, who has railed took office in mid-2016 and with his left hand although
dead, reportedly in clash- Azucena said in his ruling. against the drug killings, launched his war against his parent said he was right-
es with the police, has "The public peace is never said the court decision drugs, could not have handed.
alarmed Western govern- predicated on the cost of proved that extrajudicial reached "catastrophic lev- The police officers testified
ments and U.N. rights ex- human life." killings under Duterte's els if these killings did not in the Senate that delos
perts and horrified human Duterte's government crackdown were being have a sinister principle Santos was not the man
rights watchdogs. The vola- called the ruling "a triumph committed by rogue mem- and policy behind them." seen being dragged in the
tile president has stressed of justice" which disproved bers of the national police Duterte and police officials video, although several wit-
he does not condone ex- critics' assertion that the ju- force. have repeatedly stated nesses doubted the police
trajudicial killings, although diciary was a rubberstamp. "This is a light in the dark- there was no state policy to statements.q
he has repeatedly threat- "As we have always ness," Hontiveros said in a kill drug suspects illegally.
ened drug suspects with stressed, the conduct of the statement. "Despite the Duterte faces at least two