Jail in Philippine police station linked to drug war abuse
MANILA, Philippines — Philippine police relieved the chief of a police station and his staff on Friday after human rights representatives discovered a secret jail cell inside the station where a dozen detainees complained they were being held for extortion.
The New York-based group Human Rights Watch said the finding was the latest abuse linked to President Rodrigo Duterte’s brutal war on illegal drugs, which has left thousands dead since last year.
The Commission on Human Rights on Thursday led reporters to the dark, cramped passage that was hidden behind a bookshelf at the Raxabago station in Manila’s impoverished Tondo district.
The men and women held inside told reporters their families had not been told where they were. They said they were tortured by police, who demanded bribes of $800-$4,000 for their freedom, Human Rights Watch said.