Police in the philippines has killed this Wednesday to a Spanish citizen for 32 years during an operation against drugs in Siargao, one of the islands of the asian country, according to confirmed to Efe sources of the police force. The deceased, Diego Bello, had a number of businesses related to tourism and resided temporarily in this island situated 800 kilometers southeast of the capital, Manila, and very popular among surfers.
Bello was flown to the hospital, where they confirmed his death, according to the spokesman of the regional Police, Reynel Serrano. “It was an operation in legitimate self-defence,” said Serrano, who argues that Bello had a pistol caliber 45 and fired first at the officers. The Police of the philippines argues that Bello was a “drug dealer” high-value, which was carrying 10 grams of cocaine and 30,000 philippine pesos in banknotes marked (540 euros), and appreciated the action as a “successful operation in the fight against drugs”.
The Embassy of Spain in Manila, is compiling information on the event and has not wanted to make any comment on which might be the first Spanish kill in the bloody drug war in the asian country. Human rights organizations have reported that police philippine falsifies evidence to justify extrajudicial executions in this campaign, which began three years ago under the term of president Rodrigo Duterte.
United Nations and human rights advocates have criticized the climate of impunity in the campaign against drugs, which have killed about 30,000 people, most in extrajudicial executions at the hands of the police. The Police has admitted to have killed in raids to 6,700 suspects, although they argue that all of them resisted the arrest.
