INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Image copyrightGetty ImagesImage caption
The killing of Kian Delos Santos was one of the most high-profile deaths in the
campaign
Three Philippine police officers have been found guilty of the high-profile murder of a teenager, the first such
convictions since President Rodrigo Duterte's "war on drugs" began
A court sentenced them to up to 40 years in prison each for the killing of 17-year-old Kian Delos Santos in 2017.President Duterte launched
the anti-narcotics campaign in 2016, to deal with a rampant drug problem.Since then 5,000 dealers or users have been killed, according to
police.President Duterte has been criticised by human rights groups for what is seen as sanctioning the extra-judicial killings and
promising to pardon police officers convicted for "drug war" killings.Image copyrightGetty ImagesImage caption
The judge
said murder was "not a function of law enforcement"
"A shoot first, think later attitude can never be countenanced in a
civilised society," said Thursday's ruling by Judge Roldolfo Azucena
"Never has homicide or murder been a function of law enforcement
The public peace is never predicated on the cost of human life," he added.The killing of Kian Delos Santos in the capital city, Manila, has
been one of the most high-profile deaths in the campaign.He was found dead in an alley
He was accused by police of being a drug runner - though the family dispute this
Police said they had killed him in self-defence.Then CCTV footage emerged contradicting the official police report and sparking huge public
outrage and protests.Howard Johnson, TheIndianSubcontinent News, ManilaImage copyrightGetty ImagesOn the day of Kian Delos Santos's funeral,
hundreds turned out wearing white T-shirts with the words "Justice for Kian" emblazoned across them.But Kian's death had a much wider
significance: it was the first drug war killing that caused national outrage
Kian was the son of an Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW), his mother Lorenza worked in Saudi Arabia as domestic helper, sending back
remittances back to her family
Many in the Philippines with OFW relatives could relate to the family's trauma
President Rodrigo Duterte had modelled himself as father-like figure to clean up drugs and crime back at home, but now his drug war had
killed a teenager.Two days after the funeral President Duterte met the Delos Santos family at the President's Palace in Manila and promised
to ensure an early resolution of the case.Today's verdict will no doubt be celebrated by the government as a delivery of that promise, but
human rights groups say there are still thousands of other drug war killings that are yet to be independently investigated and given due
process.Two months after the killing the police were ordered to stop the anti-drugs campaign
But the campaign was reinstated in December last year with President Duterte citing a worsening drug situation.Human Rights Watch called the
convictions a "triumph of justice and accountability".The group also said it served as "warning to members of the Philippine National Police
to respect due process and the rights of civilians as they do their job", noting it was the first conviction of state agents implicated in a
"drug war" killing.The three convicted policeman are not eligible for parole.
