Philippines releases list of ‘narco’ officials before local elections
Rights groups call it a ‘hit list’, but the government says the public has a right to know what elected officials are up to
The Philippines on Monday released the names of over 200 local officials with alleged links to drugs, rejecting concerns it amounted to a “hit list” in President Rodrigo Duterte’s deadly narcotics crackdown.
The names were made public on Duterte’s orders weeks ahead of local polls in a nation where electoral campaigns are known to result in bloody violence.
“The disclosure of the names of barangay (district) officials involved in the illegal drugs business is first and foremost a direct order from President Rodrigo Duterte,” Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency chief Aaron Aquino told reporters.
Authorities said the list was a way to name and shame the 207 officials as the May 14 local elections approach, but rights advocates said it could amount to an incitement to kill.
“These lists subvert due process and [are], at best, a form of trial by publicity. At worst, it is a hit list,” said Carlos Conde, a Filipino campaigner for the US-based monitor Human Rights Watch.