MANILA, Philippines Japan should condemn President RodrigoDuterte'swar on drugs and not condone it, international group Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Friday. <\/p>\n
HRW Deputy Asia Director Phelim Kine said Tokyo turned a blind eye to the country's \"abusive drug war\" while theUnited States and the European Union have publicly criticizedthe rising cases of alleged extrajudicial killings in the Philippines. <\/p>\n
Duterte's crackdown on illegal drugs has left more than 7,000 suspected drug offenders both from legitimate police operations and vigilante-style or unexplained killings, since he took office in June. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
According toKine,showing a lack of commitment inaddressing human rights violationsis not only a \"wasted opportunity.\" <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\"It doubtlessly gives encouragement to a government that deems as 'inhuman' those slaughtered in its anti-drug campaign,\"Kinesaid in a dispatch released Friday. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
The HRW director noted that Japan had plenty of opportunities to address the problem, such as during thePhilippines-Japan vice-ministerial meeting in Tokyo on February 10, but failed to do so. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe also made a state visit to the Philippines last January 12 to 13 to renew its ties with the country. During the two-day official visit, Abe extended financial assistance in building a drug rehabilitation center in the country as support to the Philippines' anti-drug campaign. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\"But during his visit and afterward, Abe made no public referenceto the 'war on drugs' and its brutal cost in lives and the impact on affected families,\" saidKine. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\"It needs to make clear that unlessDutertedecisively ends the killings and prosecutes those responsible, he risks a suspension of Japanese financial aid, training programs, and equipment sales to the Philippine National Police,\" he added. <\/p>\n
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Human Rights Watch: Japan should condemn Duterte's drug war - Philippine Star<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" MANILA, Philippines Japan should condemn President RodrigoDuterte'swar on drugs and not condone it, international group Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Friday. HRW Deputy Asia Director Phelim Kine said Tokyo turned a blind eye to the country's \"abusive drug war\" while theUnited States and the European Union have publicly criticizedthe rising cases of alleged extrajudicial killings in the Philippines Continue reading