Philippines' War On Narcotics Kills More Than 6.200, President Duterte: I Won't Apologize

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. (Wikimedia Commons/PCOO EDP)

JAKARTA - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said on Tuesday he would never apologize for the deaths of suspected drug users and dealers, who were killed in police operations under his war on drugs that had alarmed human rights groups.

More than 6.200 drug suspects have died in operations against narcotics since Duterte took office from June 2016 to November 2021, according to government figures.

"I will never, never apologize for the death," Duterte said in his weekly national address, citing Reuters January 5.

"Kill me, imprison me, I will never apologize," he insisted.

Meanwhile, rights groups and critics say law enforcement has executed drug suspects, but police say those killed were armed and vehemently resisted arrest.

President Duterte, in his first national address of the year, vowed to protect law enforcement officers who are doing their job, telling them to fight back when their lives are in danger.

Judges at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in September approved a formal investigation into Duterte's war on drugs. The ICC suspended the investigation in November following a request from the Philippines, which cited its own investigation.

To note, President Duterte unilaterally canceled the Philippines' ICC membership in March 2018, a month after prosecutors said a preliminary investigation into the drug war was underway.

Previously, Duterte, 76, won the presidency by a wide margin in 2016 on an anti-corruption, law and order platform.

The leader is constitutionally barred from running for re-election next year. Analysts say selected allies can protect Duterte from any legal action over his anti-narcotics program.