Cops in Kian Killing Charged with Murder, Torture

Police Officers Charged with Murder and Torture

The parents of Kian delos Santos filed murder and torture charges against the police officers who are involved in the death of their son. The parents were accompanied by the Public Attorneys Office (PAO) chief Persida Acosta.

Acosta told the media that the wheels of justice will turn now and run its course after filig the charges Friday. She also hoped that the case will be resolved by the Department of Justice (DOJ) for not more than 60 days after the filing.

4 Police Officers Charged with Murder and Torture

Four police officers were charged with murder and torture. The respondents were Chief Inspector Amor Cerillo, the relieved commander of Caloocan City Police Community Precinct 7; Police Officer (PO) 3 Arnel Oares; PO1 Jerwin Cruz; and PO1 Jeremias Pereda.

The involved police officers violated Article 248 of the Revised Penal Code (RPC) and Republic Act 9745, also known as the Anti-Torture Law. They were charged for torturing a minor resulting to death, which falls under Section 4(A-1) and (A-14), and Section 14(1) and (5) of the said law.

Kian Intentionally Killed

The autopsy report of the PAO revealed that Kian, an alleged drug runner, was shot at the back lying down. Witnesses also testified that Kian delos Santos did not fought back or tried to escape as alleged by the arresting police officers. The autopsy report also highlighted the intent of the gunmen, which is to kill the suspect by shooting him in critical areas of his body.

Drug War's Collateral Damage

A senate investigation is also being conducted about the incident, which some lawmakers said is a clear example of EJK. Caloocan police officials told the senators during the hearing that they only based their accusations on posts and messages from social media. The President's drug war has been marred by large number of deaths and killings of minor suspects.

Meanwhile relatives, friends, and other supporters of Kian are asking the President to look into this case and hoping that justice be served to the innocent grade 11 student.

Killed Drug Suspects Worth P5,000 said Amnesty International

AI report on President Duterte's drug war

According to Amnesty International, police personnel involved in anti-drug operations were being paid for every drug suspect killed. This report was one of the findings of the London-based human rights watchdog. AI also alleged that most of the killings done by the authorities or suspected vigilantes is systematic, planned, and organized. Since the order came from the top authorities, these drug-related killings can be considered as crime against humanity.

AI conducted their own investigation to unearth the truth about the spate of killings around the country. A lot of the cases are considered extra judicial killings. Most of the victims are poor people and they are targeted because they are suspected drug users or sellers. According to Tirana Hassan, AI's crisis response director, the national police are breaking laws they are supposed to uphold while profiting from the murder of impoverished people. This accusation was backed by their own investigation conducted in November to December 2016. They interviewed at least 110 people including families of victims and witnesses.

Police Paid to Kill Drug Suspects

The most controversial finding of the group is the alleged pay out to police officers for each encounter with drug suspects. An active anti-narcotics police officer who was interviewed by the group revealed that they are not paid for arrests but given incentives for killing drug suspects. The amount ranges from P8,000 to P15,000. The officer said that they are paid in cash secretly by the headquarters. Some local government units in Metro Manila are also providing incentives for every killed drug suspect.

Two hired-killers interviewed by the AI also revealed that a police officer pays them P5,000 for every killed drug user and paid higher if the job is to kill a pusher, which is between P10,000 to P15,000.

Some police officers also get incentives from funeral homes where they bring killed drug suspects. Some get as much as P10,000 per cadaver since they bring them to expensive funeral homes.

In most occasions, drugs and weapons are planted to link the suspects in the drug trade.

AI Must Testify on the Pay-for-Kill Claim 

Meanwhile, Senator Chiz Escudero said in a recent interview that he wants Amnesty International to testify in a Senate inquiry about the alleged pay-for-kill scheme in the PNP. The allegation that the PNP paid its personnel and assassins is a serious issue.

As of January 2017, there are already more than 7,000 casualties on the war on drugs by President Duterte. Critics say that most of these were done in EJK style.