President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines has made the extrajudicial killing of criminals and drug users a central pillar of his domestic policy. Although official accounts vary, Duterte has publicly made reference to a “list” said to contain between 600,000 to 1,000,000 suspected drug addicts and drug dealers, including thousands of allegedly corrupt local government officials and police officers. Since assuming office in late June 2016, government sponsored police raids have accounted for 2,000 confirmed deaths, with an additional 4,000 deaths reported outside of the officially sanctioned operations.

In November 2016 Moises Saman photographed the street-level effects of the drug war in and around the Philippine capital city Manila, where overcrowded prisons, execution-style crime scenes, and mourning families have become increasingly common elements of President Duterte’s aggressive initiative.


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