POLIS debate ‘Does the Philippines’ War on Drugs Amount to Crimes Against Humanity?’
Dr Adrian Gallagher, and PhD candidates Euan Raffle and Zain Maulana, have written an article in The Diplomat examining the charge and how it would apply in the Philippines.
It has been more than a year since the International Criminal Court (ICC) first announced its preliminary examination into the war on drugs campaign launched by the Philippine government, and this article investigates some of the themes that could indicate that crimes against humanity have been met.
They start by defining their understanding of a crime against humanity, before uncovering President Rodrigo Duterte's approaches to extrajudicial killings and his “shoot to kill policy”.
They argue Duterte dehumanises drug users, a sentiment consistent in the war on drugs campaign. A central theme the writers analyse is the way Duterte exaggerates the threat that drug users pose creating a narrative of drug use as a disease.
