The Philippine Drug Crackdown Has Claimed 2,000 Lives in Two Months

Rodrigo Duterte, president of the Philippines since June 30, has continued his bloody war on illegal drugs, resulting in more than 2,000 violent deaths over the past two months at the hands of law enforcement, vigilante groups, and other unidentified actors. Human rights groups and the United Nations have condemned the extrajudicial killings, with the UN stating that the campaign amounts to a crime under international law. According to a report from Reuters, “close to 900 drug traffickers and users had been killed in police operations from July 1 to August 20 … on average 20 people a day.” Editor’s note: Many of the following images are graphic in nature.

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