Activists march in Manila during the Holy Week to call on the government to end drug-related killings. (Photo by Vincent Go)
Human Rights Watch called on member countries of the United Nations to denounce drug-related killings in the Philippines as the country braces for a U.N. human rights review this month.
Phelim Kine, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said the U.N. review is "critical because of the sheer magnitude of the human rights calamity" in the Philippines.
In a statement on May 4, the international human rights group said Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's anti-narcotics war "has been nothing less than a murderous war on the poor."
Human Rights Watch estimated that at least 7,000 people have been killed since Duterte took office in June 2016.
The Philippines will appear for the third cycle of the Human Rights Council's Universal Periodic Review in Geneva on May 8.
The human rights progress of each U.N. member country is reviewed every four years. During the review members and observers of the U.N. Human Rights Council will raise past human-rights pledges and new concerns.
The previous reviews of the Philippines were in 2008 and 2012. This year's review covers the last four years of the administration of former president Benigno Aquino and the period since Duterte took office.