“Amnesty International Australia is seriously concerned about reports that the Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has given troops an unequivocal license to kill civilians with impunity while fighting ISIS-aligned militants in Marawi,” Amnesty International Australia Crisis Campaigns Coordinator, Diana Sayed said today.
“The Australian Government, in its planned supply of surveillance airplanes to the effort, needs to make sure that it does not become complicit in the killing of civilians in Marawi.
“At a minimum, Australia should be leading calls on President Duterte to protect civilians and make sure that a proportionate response is taken to any alleged threat from extremist groups in Marawi.”
This week also marks the one-year anniversary of when President Duterte took office in the Philippines during which there has been an alarming human rights crisis sparked by his ‘War on Drugs’ that has reportedly killed thousands of suspected drug dealers, as well as an attempt to reintroduce the death penalty.
