内容摘要：While some major religions continue to view homosexual behavior as sinful, our gallery includes some eye-catching depictions of inclusion — LGBTQ-friendly services at a

While some major religions continue to view homosexual behavior as sinful, our gallery includes some eye-catching depictions of inclusion — LGBTQ-friendly services at a

Police take out a bag of marijuana from the pocket of an unidentified drug suspect after he was shot dead by police while trying to evade a checkpoint in Quezon city, north of Manila, Philippines, Sept. 6, 2016. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila, File)EDS NOTE: GRAPHIC CONTENT - Police inspect one of two unidentified drug suspects shot by police while trying to evade a checkpoint in Quezon city, north of Manila, Philippines, Sept. 6, 2016. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila, File)

EDS NOTE: GRAPHIC CONTENT - Police inspect one of two unidentified drug suspects shot by police while trying to evade a checkpoint in Quezon city, north of Manila, Philippines, Sept. 6, 2016. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila, File)Jose Luis Martin “Chito” Gascon, director of the independent Commission on Human Rights, described them as extrajudicial killings, and said the phenomenon has plagued the country at least since late dictator Ferdinand Marcos was ousted in a “people power” revolt in 1986.The latest upsurge is “unprecedented,” he said, “because of the scale, the large number ... over a fairly short period of time.”

There is no shortage of theories about who the vigilantes are: drug syndicates killing their own, rogue police offing informants, state-sponsored death squads like the ones in Davao.Regardless, human rights groups say Duterte bears much of the blame. In nationally televised speeches and press conferences he has repeatedly encouraged both the police and the public to eliminate drug suspects, dismissing the need for due process. The rhetoric is ironic in a country that banned the death penalty a decade ago, and it has left many aghast.

“What I don’t understand is, how can — it boggles my mind — how can you actually propose that to address the problem of injustice, you perpetuate more injustice?” Gascon said.

One reason may be that many Filipinos feel there is no other way to fight drugs beyond brute force. Another may be that Duterte’s campaign has had an immediate effect. Police say crime has fallen in some areas by nearly half, and neighborhoods once overrun with drug dealers are safer than they’ve been in years.Volunteers gather in order to help residents evacuate from an area flooded in Porto Alegre, Brazil, May 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

Volunteers gather in order to help residents evacuate from an area flooded in Porto Alegre, Brazil, May 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)A dog eyes a blueback, or Quinault sockeye salmon, before Jade Rodriguez brings the fish to Quinault Pride Seafood to sell in Taholah, Wash., May 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

A dog eyes a blueback, or Quinault sockeye salmon, before Jade Rodriguez brings the fish to Quinault Pride Seafood to sell in Taholah, Wash., May 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)Children line up to enter school on Gardi Sugdub Island, part of the San Blas archipelago off Panama’s Caribbean coast, May 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)