Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has threatened to impose martial rule to prosecute his deadly war on drugs, three decades after the nation shed dictatorship with a famous People Power revolt. If I wanted to, and it (the illegal drugs problem) will deteriorate into something really very virulent, I will declare martial law if I wanted to. No one will be able to stop me, Duterte said in a speech on Saturday night.
The 71-year-old former state prosecutor said the aim would be to preserve the Filipino people and the youth of this land. Duterte won elections in May last year on a pledge to wipe out illegal drugs, promising an unprecedented crackdown to stop the Philippines from becoming what he termed a narco state. The crackdown has left at least 5,700 people dead in just over six months, raising concerns of a breakdown in the rule of law with security forces and vigilantes carrying out extrajudicial killings.
The Philippines' longtime ally, the United States, has led international criticism of the killings, with outgoing President Barack Obama urging Duterte to prosecute his war the right way. Duterte has reacted furiously to the criticism and vowed to continue his war until illegal drugs are eradicated. Duterte has raised the prospect of imposing martial law previously.
However, Saturday's comments were the most direct threat. Martial rule would allow Duterte to use the military to enforce civilian law and detain people at length without charging them. The Philippines last endured martial law during the 20-year rule of dictator Ferdinand Marcos, who was accused of plundering billions of dollars from state coffers and overseeing widespread human rights abuses.
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