Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has admitted to leading a “death squad” to fight crime while mayor of one of the country's largest cities.
In his first testimony before an official inquiry into his so-called war on drugs, the 79-year-old said the team was made up of gangsters, adding that he would tell them to “kill this person, because if you Don’t do it, I will.” kill you now.”
Duterte won the presidency in a landslide in 2016 on a promise to replicate his anti-crime campaign in Davao City nationally.
The nationwide drug war has seen thousands of suspects killed in controversial police operations and is currently being investigated by the International Criminal Court.
During the Senate hearing on Monday, Duterte also said he asked police officers to “encourage” suspects to fight back so officers could justify the killings.
“Don't question my policies because I make no excuses, no excuses. I did what I had to do, and whether you believe it or not… I did it for my country,” Duterte said in his opening statement.
“I hate drugs, make no mistake.”
However, he denied giving his police chiefs permission to kill suspects, adding that his “death squad” was made up of “gangsters…not police.”
“I can confess now if you want. I had a death squad of seven people, but they weren't police, they were gangsters.”
Duterte also remained defiant, saying many criminals had resumed illegal activities after he resigned as president.
“If I’m given another chance, I’ll eliminate you all,” he said.
His appearance Monday was the first time he has appeared before an investigation into his anti-drug campaign since his term ended in 2022.
It was also the first time he directly confronted some of his accusers, including families of drug war victims and former Sen. Leila de Lima, a Duterte critic who was imprisoned for seven years on trafficking charges. of drugs, which was finally abandoned.
The Philippine government estimates that more than 6,252 people have been shot dead by police and “unknown assailants” in Duterte's “war on drugs.” Rights groups say those numbers could actually reach tens of thousands.
A previous report by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights found that Duterte's drug crackdown was marked by high-level rhetoric that could be seen as giving police officers “license to kill.”
Police said many of their victims, whom they claimed to be drug lords or traffickers, were often killed in “self-defense” during shootings. But many families say their sons, brothers or husbands were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.
The drug war campaign has been controversial and drawn huge international criticism, but it has also had its share of supporters in a country where millions of people use drugs, mainly methamphetamine, known locally as from “shabu”.
