Murders of environmental activists and land defenders in the Philippines have risen sharply under President Rodrigo Duterte, an international rights watchdog said Tuesday, alleging his speeches and policies have "emboldened" the killers.
Campaigners who challenge powerful logging, mining and fruit growing interests have long faced deadly violence in the Philippines, but the recent increase marked a "disturbing" jump, according to a report from Global Witness.
In July, the group said 30 killings in the Philippines last year made it the deadliest country in the world for land defenders -- a first since the group began reporting such deaths in 2012.