海角大神

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte was buoyed to power in May on the strength of his promises to crack down on drug crime. In his first month of office, a violent crackdown has begun.

More than 400 suspected drug traffickers have been killed since Mr. Duterte took office on June 30, according to official statistics and independent estimates, with local news media putting the number as high as 465. Many of the deaths came at the hands of police. And the president has championed the rise in death toll 鈥� up from the 68 suspects killed by police from Jan. 1 through June 15 of this year 鈥� as proof of the 鈥渟uccess鈥� of his anti-drug campaign, saying in mid-July that 鈥渨hile the campaign against drugs is far from perfect, a generation of Filipinos have been saved from this scourge of society and destroyer of lives,鈥� .

But human rights and faith groups and the families of many of those killed say that state-sponsored violence, which has prompted 114,833 people to turn themselves in, as either drug addicts or dealers,聽has mainly taken its toll on poor Filipinos who are seldom given the chance to defend themselves from accusations, 聽on Tuesday.听

Phelim Kine, a deputy director of Human Rights Watch in Asia, told The New York Times that the vast majority of those killed were 鈥渘ot the wealthy and powerful drug lords who actually have meaningful control over supply of drugs on the streets in the Philippines.鈥�

On Tuesday, and international narcotics authorities to condemn the surge in violence, in a joint letter drafted by the International Drug Policy Consortium.

鈥淚nternational drug control agencies need to make clear to Philippines鈥� President Roderigo Duterte that the surge in killings of suspected drug dealers and users is not acceptable 鈥榗rime control,鈥� but instead a government failure to protect people鈥檚 most fundamental human rights,鈥澛爏aid聽Mr. Kine.

Some killings have been the work of unidentified vigilantes, who often leave handwritten signs next to their victims鈥� bodies labeling them as drug dealers. Duterte has openly encouraged vigilantism, and offered large bounties for anyone who turned in drug lords, dead or alive.

"If he fights, and he fights to the death, you can kill him," he told a crowd in June in reference to drug dealers, .

"Please feel free to call us, the police, or do it yourself if you have the gun 鈥� you have my support.... Shoot him and I鈥檒l give you a medal."

Duterte, a former prosecutor and mayor of Davao City, has been linked in to death squads that killed more than 1,000 people during his tenure as mayor. While on the campaign trail, and promised to bring the city's curfew and smoking and liquor bans 鈥� along with the extrajudicial killings 鈥� to the national stage.

鈥淚f by chance that God will place me [in the presidency], watch out because the 1,000 will become 100,000,鈥� .听

This report contains material from Reuters and聽the Associated Press.