Criminals have no humanity, President Duterte said Thursday in response to the report of Human Rights Watch, which said drug-related extrajudicial killings may be considered crimes against humanity.

“When you kill criminals, it is not a crime against humanity. The criminals have no humanity, goddamn it,” Mr. Duterte said in an ambush interview in Cebu.

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READ: Duterte criminally liable for ‘human rights calamity’—HRW report

He said those who were killed were the ones who fought back against law enforcers.

The government was not responsible for those killed in other ways, he said.

“Maybe they were in a fight against priests,” he added.

He reiterated that he would answer for the police officers who have killed drug suspects in encounters.

He also brushed off allegations of police planting evidence on people they had killed.

“You can go after so many who are culpable, why would you plant evidence on others?” he said. JE

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