A surge in the killings of suspected drug users and dealers by police and vigilantes in the Philippines highlights a governmental neglect of domestic Philippine law and international human rights standards.  The political rhetoric surrounding the “War on Drugs” has facilitated a climate in which pretty criminals, drug users, and street children have been unlawfully killed by vigilantes and police forces under the guise of protecting public safety. In his lecture, Phelim Kine of Human Rights Watch will discuss President Duterte’s stance and response to the wave of extrajudicial killings of alleged criminals and the failure of the Philippine government to champion human rights protections included in the constitution.

As the deputy director in Human Rights Watch’s Asia Division, Phelim Kine has written and spoken extensively about human rights issues in Asia including religious intolerance, military impunity, government and police corruption, and violence against women . Phelim Kine’s writing has appeared in publications including the New York Times, Foreign Policy, Financial Times, The Guardian, and Asian Wall Street Journal. 

Kosher pizza will be served.

Brown Bag Lunch Series