Three police officers have been jailed for the murder of a high school student who was killed in President Rodrigo Duterte’s drugs war.
Kian Loyd delos Santos, 17, was shot dead in an alley in Manila in August 2017, sparking outrage among opponents of the government crackdown, which has seen nearly 5,000 people killed in anti-drugs operations over 29 months.
Today officers Arnel Oares, Jeremias Pereda and Jerwin Cruz were sentenced to up to 40 years in jail for the murder of Kian in the first convictions linked to police violence in the drugs war.
Passing judgment in court in Manila, Judge Rodolfo Azucena said: “A shoot first, think later attitude can never be countenanced in a civilised society.
Never has homicide or murder been a function of law enforcement.” Human rights activists say Mr Duterte’s policy effectively sanctions extrajudicial killings.
Kian was found dead with a gun in his left hand. Police accused him of being a drug runner and said they shot in self-defence, but his family dismissed these as lies.
Then CCTV footage emerged showing the officers aggressively escorting a man matching his description towards the spot where he was killed.
His mother Lorenza said: “Justice was served for my son.” Mr Duterte’s spokesman said: “This is murder. The president would never tolerate that”.
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