The human rights watchdog in the Philippines has launched an investigation after nine unarmed individuals were killed by the country’s security forces in a coordinated operation near Manilla on Sunday.
The country’s National Police chief, Debold Sinas, confirmed that the operation took place, with police and military personnel deployed to detain suspects who had been accused of being in “illegal possession of firearms.”
Nine people were killed by security forces and 15 individuals were arrested after the raids, according to Sinas. Bayan Muna, a left-wing political group in the Philippines, claimed that all of those targeted were unarmed political activists.
The human rights watchdog in the country sent a team to the area to fully investigate the killings and detention, calling on the government to cooperate and conduct an internal investigation.
“There should be a differentiation between those who take up arms and those who merely exercise their constitutional right to form and join associations,” Commission on Human Rights spokeswoman Jacqueline de Guia said in a statement.
The operations took place several days after Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte, who is seen by critics as an authoritarian leader, ordered the police and military to “kill” and “finish off” communist rebels across the country “if they find themselves in an armed encounter.”
Duterte sparked concerns among communist activists in the country when he said “Forget about human rights,” stating that he is “willing to go to jail” to counter the political ideology and stamp it out across the country.
The Philippines president also took aim at communism in other countries around the world, declaring that there is “no ideology” anymore, claiming that “even China and Russia are all capitalists now.”
If you like this story, share it with a friend!
