De Lima’s ouster “is a blatant and craven move to derail accountability for the appalling death toll from President Rodrigo Duterte’s abusive ‘war on drugs,’” U.S.-based Human Rights Watch said. President Rodrigo Duterte’s allies led the vote that removed Sen. Leila de Lima from the Committee on Justice and Human Rights, which has spearheaded an inquiry into the widespread killings of drug suspects that have alarmed President Barack Obama, UN officials and human rights watchdogs. MANILA—A Philippine senator who led an investigation into the president’s bloody anti-drug campaign was ousted Monday from the justice committee in a vote that human rights advocates said could derail accountability in the crackdown. Senators allied with Duterte, however, said the investigation into possible police abuses in the killings would continue under Sen. Richard Gordon, who was designated to replace de Lima. Duterte has accused de Lima of involvement in illegal drugs, alleging that her former driver took money from detained drug lords.

Source: thestar September 19, 2016 17:15 UTC