Two weeks ago, militants in Marawi City, a Muslim enclave on the Philippines’ southernmost island, burned buildings down and clashed with government forces. Since the initial siege, Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte declared martial law, and the military descended upon the city of 200,000. Islamic State-linked militant groups occupy parts of the city–about 10 percent, according to government officials.

Over 170 people, including 20 or so civilians, are believed to have perished in the conflict so far. Hundreds of residents are trapped in the city–180,000 have already fled. The remaining militants, ranging from 40 to 200, according to government authorities, are hiding underground, burrowed in tunnels and basements, stockpiling food and weapons. Led by the Maute group, also known as the Islamic State of Lanao, militants have reportedly destroyed churches and schools; they have also taken hostages, including a Catholic priest.

The conflict began on May 23: Government forces tried to arrest Isnilon Hapilon, a senior leader of Abu Sayyaf, a local extremist group that has declared allegiance to ISIS. Hapilon is also on the FBI’s list of Most Wanted Terrorists; the agency has slapped a $5 million bounty on him. Marawi, located in the middle of the southern island of Mindanao, a Muslim-majority slice of the mostly Catholic country, has long been a staging ground for militants. None, however, have held on to this much territory for so long.

The center of Marawi City. Shots and explosions from many directions. Fires burn from end to end. Day 18. pic.twitter.com/3zwRYzVv9W

— Chiara Zambrano (@chiarazambrano) June 9, 2017

“If the situation in Marawi in the southern Philippines is allowed to escalate or entrench, it would pose decades of problems,” Singapore’s Defense Minister, Ng Eng Hen, said at a conference this week with other regional leaders. “All of us recognize that if not addressed adequately, it can prove a pulling ground for would-be jihadists.”

As for what the militants–a loosely-knit menagerie of fighters from the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Indonesia, Malaysia, India, and Chechnya–desire, a recently captured video of them plotting the initial siege gives some clues.

Gen. Eduardo Ano, the Filipino military’s chief of staff, said the video, which was provided exclusively to the Associated Press, shows that the militants have “this intention of not only rebellion, but actually dismembering a portion of the Philippine territory by occupying the whole of Marawi city and establishing their own Islamic state or government.”

According to Filipino news outlet ABS-CBN, the military launched airstrikes on Maute rebels on Friday. At least three soldiers were killed, with dozens of others wounded. Earlier, a 15-year-old boy who was praying in a mosque was killed by sniper fire.

Alec Siegel

Alec Siegel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. When he’s not working at Law Street he’s either cooking a mediocre tofu dish or enjoying a run in the woods. His passions include: gooey chocolate chips, black coffee, mountains, the Animal Kingdom in general, and John Lennon. Baklava is his achilles heel. Contact Alec at ASiegel@LawStreetMedia.com.

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In March, Filipino Congressman Gary Alejano filed an impeachment complaint against President Rodrigo Duterte, accusing him of being responsible for the mass killings of civilians in the country. But on Monday, lawmakers dismissed the complaint, claiming that Alejano could have no “personal knowledge” about these allegations.

Duterte has, in an attempt to crack down on drug trafficking, presided over a campaign of extrajudicial killings. Police statistics show that more than 4,000 people have been killed by police in drug raids, or during drug-related conflicts, since he came to power last June. But even so, agencies and institutions are hesitant to do anything.

“Institutions are just unwilling and are unable to prosecute the president. What is the people’s recourse? Where will you complain? We will look for other ways to seek justice,” Alejano said. A majority in the country’s House of Representatives favors Duterte and this decision blocks additional impeachment cases until next March.

Philippine lawmakers struck down an impeachment complaint filed by Rep. Gary Alejano against President Duterte for crimes against humanity. pic.twitter.com/nqL0rzTrcK

— AJ+ (@ajplus) May 15, 2017

In April, a Filipino lawyer filed a complaint against Duterte in The Hague’s International Criminal Court in the Netherlands. Jude Josue Sabio alleged the same crimes as Alejano but went further back in time. More than 9,400 people have allegedly been killed since Duterte became the mayor of Davao City in 1988. He wrote:

The situation in the Philippines reveals a terrifying, gruesome and disastrous continuing commission of extrajudicial executions or mass murder from the time President Duterte was the mayor of Davao City.

Sabio represents two Filipino men who claim they were part of Duterte’s so-called Davao Death Squad. The group set out to kill drug dealers and criminals guilty of minor crimes. The president and his spokespeople deny all wrongdoings and called the reports “false news.”

Duterte’s many contentious statements include comparing himself–favorably–to Hitler, calling then-president Barack Obama a “son of a whore” and calling United Nations experts “stupid.” He regularly curses or uses profanities in public and has been aggressively resistant to criticism. But despite those comments, he was elected in a landslide victory precisely because of his promise to crack down on drug users and his constituents don’t seem to be complaining. An independent poll from late March showed that three-quarters of respondents still believe Duterte to be trustworthy, while 78 percent approved of his performance as president.

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.

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Trump Invites Rodrigo Duterte to the White House

President Donald Trump has invited Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte to the White House–a move that has stunned human rights advocates. Now the administration is preparing for an expected wave of criticism and both the State Department and the National Security Council will likely raise objections internally. The administration described Trump’s phone call with the Filipino leader as a “very friendly conversation.” But Duterte is a controversial figure. He has led a crackdown on suspected drug criminals by allowing police to kill them. He has also admitted to killing suspects himself and called President Obama a “son of a whore.”

Trump White House praises Duterte’s drug-fighting efforts while neglecting minor matter of thousands of executions. https://t.co/XKDyilIeib pic.twitter.com/nFju5oiOo1

— Kenneth Roth (@KenRoth) May 1, 2017

“By essentially endorsing Duterte’s murderous war on drugs, Trump is now morally complicit in future killings,” said John Sifton, the Asia advocacy director of Human Rights Watch. Trump’s chief of staff Reince Priebus said that cultivating a better relationship with Southeast Asian nations is important, because it will help the U.S. deal with North Korea.

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.

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Hey everyone! If you feel a little down because of all the celebrity deaths at the end of 2016, take a much-needed break and enjoy today’s RantCrush. Read through our rants of the day and end on a funny note with a fantastic parody video featuring a singing Barack Obama. Welcome to RantCrush Top 5, where we take you through today’s top five controversial stories in the world of law and policy. Who’s ranting and raving right now? Check it out below:

Police Officers Believe Alexa Could Solve This Murder Case

A November 2015 case that involved a dead man found floating in a hot tub could possibly be resolved with the help of Amazon’s Alexa. At least that’s what the police in Bentonville, Arkansas believe.

Victor Collins was found dead in James Bates’ backyard hot tub–the two worked together. Broken bottles, a black eye, and bloodstains around the tub made it seem like a clear murder case, but there was no hard evidence. But Bates had an Amazon Echo, an electronic device that reacts to the activation word “Alexa,” like Apple’s Siri. When you activate it, it starts recording and streams what you say to an online server. Police seized the device and asked Amazon to hand them the recorded information from its server. But Amazon said “no way.”

Police want to interrogate Amazon Alexa re: murder suspect. Someone..thing..is always listening now.https://t.co/9zDrx6Z56n

— Ira Flatow (@iraflatow) December 28, 2016

“Amazon will not release customer information without a valid and binding legal demand properly served on us,” a company spokeswoman said to the LA Times. The Echo only starts recording if someone says the activation word, so the chances that it would contain something of value in a murder investigation are very slim. But hey, who knows? Maybe it’s worth a try.

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.

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Since becoming president of the Philippines on June 30, Rodrigo Duterte has primarily been consumed with ridding his country of drug-related crimes. This past Friday, however, the Filipino head of state officially declared a “state of lawlessness” after alleged Islamists attacked a marketplace in his hometown of Davao. Only a tier down from enforcing martial law, this latest decree now permits police and military forces to halt vehicles or frisk civilians at their total discretion.

“We have to confront the ugly head of terrorism,” said Duterte on Friday, September 2. “We will take this as a police matter about terrorism.”

Sources say that Abu Sayyaf was responsible for the attack that killed 14 and injured around 70 in the city where Duterte served as mayor for more than 22 years. Categorized as a terrorist organization by both the Philippines and the United States, the militant group is considered to be an ally of the ISIS and originally funded by al Qaeda.

Equipped with over 400 members, the insurgents are committed to forming a sovereign Islamic state on Mindanao Island, which is also where Davao is located. Known for conducting ransoms and abducting foreigners to help fund their endeavors, Abu Sayyaf’s latest operation transpired as Filipino forces led an offensive attack against the separatists in Sulu province.

Now anticipating more attacks, currently Davao is under tight surveillance with numerous checkpoints scattered throughout the city of two million people. Even though Abu Sayyaf has claimed responsibility for Friday’s detonation, “The Punisher” president is adamant about investigating other potential culprits. Bearing in mind that more than 2,000 Filipinos have been extrajudicially killed since Duterte took office, such military progressions are troubling signs that violence may intensify in the upcoming weeks.

“These are extraordinary times and I supposed that I’m authorized to allow the security forces of this country to do searches,” said Duterte while visiting the battered marketplace. “We’re trying to cope with a crisis now. There is a crisis in this country involving drugs, extrajudicial killings and there seems to be an environment of lawless violence.”

Duterte’s Controversial Track Record with Human Rights

During his candidacy Duterte gained widespread support for his “no nonsense” platform against drugs–yet 10 weeks into his presidential tenure the international community had already condemned Duterte’s policies as draconian. Although he is praised by some for his disciplinarian approach to combating drug addiction in the Philippines, others lament the manner in which he is allowing citizens to be persecuted without any legal representation.

According to Sputnik News, Duterte could very well resort to using similar tactics in his response to Abu Sayyaf’s recent belligerence. For example, as police units continue to collaborate with neighborhood patrol squads, accused drug users are being rounded up in “knock and plead” operations where they are expected to voluntarily surrender or face retaliation.

Criticized for encouraging vigilante violence by offering rewards to would-be assassins, the professionally trained lawyer has also angered the United Nations for his observed disregard on human rights, saying that “junkies are not humans” to begin with and that they’re not worthy of second chances.

On top of this, Duterte earned the reputation for being unapologetically brash after making some disparaging comments over the rape and murder of an Australian missionary in 1989–saying, “I was angry she was raped, yes that was one thing. But she was so beautiful, I think the mayor should have been first. What a waste.”

Jacob Atkins

Jacob Atkins is a freelance blogger and contributor for Law Street Media. After studying print journalism and international relations at American University, Jacob now resides in Madrid where he is teaching English, pursuing multimedia reporting projects and covering global news. Contact Jacob at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

http://jacobson.pressfolios.com/

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The number of suspected drug criminals that have been killed by police in the Philippines since President Rodrigo Duterte took office seven weeks ago is believed to be as high as 1,800 people, according to Philippine National Police Chief Ronald Dela Rosa. Local politicians, the United States, and the U.N. have started voicing concern about human rights violations as the country ramps up its fight against drugs. In response to recent criticism, Duterte lashed out at his critics and even suggested that the Philippines may leave the U.N. in the future.

At a Senate hearing on Monday, Dela Rosa said that police had killed 712 drug dealers and users since July 1. He also mentioned that they are investigating 1,067 other drug-related killings, but did not elaborate further. According to Reuters, two U.N. human rights experts recently urged the Philippines to stop the extrajudicial killings of suspected drug dealers that have escalated dramatically lately.

Late Sunday night, President Duterte held a press conference, in which he threatened to fire everyone in the government who had been appointed to his or her position by a previous president. At the press conference, he said the police did not carry out the extrajudicial killings. He also said, responding to critics at the U.N., “I will prove to the world that you are a very stupid expert.” In his speech, he asked people to not only think about how many drug dealers were killed but to also take into account how many innocent lives that are lost to drugs.

President Duterte even threatened to pull out of the U.N. saying, “I do not want to insult you. But maybe we’ll just have to decide to separate from the United Nations.” He went on to say that the Philippines might instead start a new international organization with China and several African nations.

Duterte continued to criticize the U.N. for not stopping the war in Syria:

You know, United Nations, if you can say one bad thing about me, I can give you 10 [about you]. I tell you, you are an inutile [useless]. Because if you are really true to your mandate, you could have stopped all these wars and killing.

The United States is normally a close ally to the Philippines but has expressed concerns similar to the United Nations in light of the recent deaths. The Philippines’ foreign minister, Perfecto Yasay, said on Monday that the President’s words had been no more than an expression of a strong disappointment with the U.N. “We are committed to the U.N. despite our numerous frustrations and disappointments with the international agency,” Yasay said. He added that Duterte has promised to respect human rights and that it is irresponsible for the U.N. to “jump to conclusions.”

But Senator Leila de Lima, a fierce critic of Duterte, is also concerned; she began a two-day inquiry on Monday, questioning police about the many killings. “I am disturbed that we have killings left and right as breakfast every morning,” she said. She also expressed her fear that the president’s war on drugs could be an excuse for law enforcement to kill with impunity.

On Sunday night, Duterte did not seem to worry about effects of his statements. When asked about his comments he said, “What is… repercussions? I don’t give a shit to them.”

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.

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Want to shoot a drug dealer in the Philippines? No worries, you won’t go to jail, you’ll actually be rewarded under president-elect Rodrigo Duterte. In a nationally televised speech late Saturday, Duterte encouraged citizens to take the law into their own hands by using deadly force against drug dealers who threaten them or resist arrest.

“If he fights, and he fights to the death, you can kill him,” he said. “Shoot him and I’ll give you a medal.”

Critics have dubbed Détente, who won the presidency last month, the “Filipino Donald Trump.” His campaign promise that landed him the victory? He vowed to end crime and corruption within the first six months of his presidency, which explains the support he gives civilians in handling drug lords on their own. “Please feel free to call us, the police, or do it yourself if you have the gun … you have my support,” he added.

Also in an attempt to cut crime and corruption, Duterte, 71, announced that he is increasing the bounty for drug lords from 3 million Philippine pesos ($65,000) to  five million pesos ($108,000). “I’m not saying that you kill them, but the order is ‘dead or alive,” he said.

Drug lords aren’t the only part of crime and corruption Duterte is concerned with–also on his agenda is removing corrupt police officers. In his speech, he asked three police generals based in the capital to resign for unspecified crimes. If they don’t quit, he threatened to humiliate them in public, or perhaps worse–kill them. Because some cops may have bribed their way back to the force after being involved with some sort of drug scheme, Duterte is also calling for a review of dismissed criminal cases of active police.

“To all police who have cases and are wanted now, if you are still involved in drugs, I will kill you,” he said. “Don’t take this as a joke. I’m not making you laugh.”

Not only does Duterte encourage civilians to resort to whatever means necessary to take down a drug lord, he also supports security forces shooting and killing anyone that resists arrest. Duterte, above all, really knows what it means to take matters into your hands. While he was the mayor of Davao City, he pulled the trigger on many suspected motorcycle-riding assassins, better known as “Davao death squads.” 

“Me? They are saying that I’m part of a death squad? True, that’s true,” he said.

However, human rights activists say that he has never been charged because no one has dared to testify against him. Many Filipino citizens may love his anti-crime and corruption rhetoric, but human rights activists fear that it will lead to widespread rights violations.

Police and drug lords aren’t the only ones who can fall to corruption, journalists are also guilty, Duterte thinks. 

“Just because you’re a journalist you are not exempted from assassination, if you’re a son of a bitch,” Duterte said. “Freedom of expression cannot help you if you have done something wrong.”

Duterte begins his six-year term June 30.

Inez Nicholson

Inez is an editorial intern at Law Street from Raleigh, NC. She will be a junior at North Carolina State University and is studying political science and communication media. When she’s not in the newsroom, you can find her in the weight room. Contact Inez at INicholson@LawStreetMedia.com.

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