The U.N. human rights office called on the Philippine government in a new report on Thursday to end all violence targeting suspected drug offenders and to disband private and state-backed paramilitary groups.
The U.N. rights office chronicled long-standing concerns about state-backed and vigilante violence that it says has worsened in the Philippines under President Rodrigo Duterte, who has particularly drawn domestic and international condemnation for a deadly crackdown on drug offenders and users.
It said many of the human rights concerns “have become more acute in recent years” and have continued even amid COVID-19 outbreaks.
