The campaign of President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines against drug-related crime has killed nearly 8,000 people in the past four years. Police chief Camilo Cascolan said in a report on Thursday that the police have arrested more than 350,000 suspects in more than 234,000 undercover investigations.
Duterte announced crackdown on drug criminals when he was elected in 2016. He threatened sight smugglers with death and he encouraged criminal investigators to shoot suspects rather than putting their lives in danger.
Human rights activists accuse the government of serious human rights violations. In a televised address last month, Duterte said he was responsible for all killings in the campaign against illegal drugs. He is even ready to go to jail for it.
