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Philippine president says no genocide in his bloody drug war
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A protester, wearing a rubber wristband from President Rodrigo Duterte's election campaigning, stages a "die-in" to dramatize the rising number of extra judicial killings related to Duterte's "War on Drugs" on Aug. 26, 2016 in front of the armed forces headquarters in suburban Quezon city northeast of Manila, Philippines. (AP/Bullit Marquez)
T
he Philippine president says his bloody anti-drug campaign that has left nearly 1,800 people dead does not amount to genocide, but that he is ready to go to jail to defend his men from lawsuits.
President Rodrigo Duterte drew a line Monday between the widespread killings sparked by his anti-drug battle and the brutality under Syrian President Bashar Assad and the atrocities committed by Islamic State group extremists.
Pressing his campaign, Duterte announced bounties of 2 million pesos ($42,000) for information that will help the government identify any police officer protecting drug syndicates.
Police say at least 1,779 drug suspects have been killed in the campaign, including 712 who were gunned down in clashes with police, with the rest being slain in still-unclear circumstances.
