subsequent decision to allow her to compete organizes had down play the scandal hailing the event a success, especially in controlling curve at 19 infections. thousands of foreign participants were kept separate from the chinese public inside the bubble around $450.00 positive tests. but the virus, including athletes who were forced to withdraw from competition. many will be relieved to end their time under strict pandemic controls. who from here to winter olympics had to milan cortinez in italy in full use time clearly. so katrina, you out a 0 dating ah i'm on the inside with the headlines on al jazeera, the iranian president abraham racy is incatel on his 1st visit to a gulf states. his here to attend original gas conference that to her on hopes will boost political and trade relations. iran. his face gas shortage is

a home because if record high consumption tomorrow, i'll sheil has more from doha. it is the 1st to visit her of the arena president true cluttered. it's also the 1st visit of any arena, president potter in almost 10 years over the past 10 years. what significance here is that not only are you coming to attend the, our international gus summit or with other world leaders to increase on tuesday, but the bi lateral meetings and agreements that will be finalized and announced at the immunity, the one where we are today between the cutter and iran talks to revise the ra nuclear deal are reportedly nearing a final agreement in vienna, but into iran. 250 members of parliament have demanded 6th conditions be met before any deal signed. they include a guarantee form b, u. s. and the european signatories that they will not pull out as president donald trump dead 4 years ago, president joe bought in black me putin, of acceptance,

in principle, to hold a summit over ukraine. the potential diplomatic breakthrough comes as fighting increases in east in ukraine with russian troops reportedly moving along the border . i just came back from unit with the vice president. she let our delegation there to make sure that we are in lockstep with allies and partners on everything that we're going to do both to see if we can still prevent present food from carrying forth his decision. and if not, making sure that we're fully coordinated with all his partners on the response, they've reiterated that massive consequences will follow if, if president putin carried forth with the, the aggression australia is opened as borders to fully vaccinated tourists after nearly 2 years of being closed off to the world is tough measures, even restricted australians from returning home. those headlines nice continues off upfront. in just under a year's time castle is our bait stadium. will host the opening match of the 2022

world cup. the official opening of the stadium came on day one of the arab cup, but many friends were already counting down to the big kick off next november 10th, 22. as this tournament unfolds over the coming days will play a key role, but organize is getting ready to host the middle east. the biggest ever school thing event next year. for the castle, national team like it used to playing in front of expected home crowds hoping to convince both the fan and themselves. so they really all ready to take on the world that came to the so called war on drugs have had a devastating effect in latin america today. in many places, cartels continued to operate with impunity. corruption runs rapid while ordinary people face deadly consequences. the whole benefiting from the militarization of the drug war. and what's been the human cost that conversation is coming up. but 1st, regional disparities term as president of the philippines. the soon coming to an end with filipinos getting ready to elect

a new leader in may from crackdowns on the press to his own controversial war drugs . what legacy will president do? they leave for the country? and what happens if he is replaced by the son a former dictator for non marco? this week's head, lighter former spokesperson to president, to tear take now candidate for the senate. harry are ok. the harry are ok. thank you so much for joining me on. upfront filipino president rodrigo detect, they has only a few months left in office and perhaps his most memorable legacy will be his so called drug war. that includes a free of killings that is left thousands of people dead. your own government reports some 6200 while at 2020 you and reports as a number of killings could be more than 20000. that same you report found that of more than $42000.00 anti illegal drug operations carried up by the police. only 1.2

percent were based on an actual arrest warrant. you're a lawyer, you identify the human rights champion. how do you explain these numbers? well, that's a matter of being investigated now by the prosecutor of the international criminal court. and i leave it to the prosecutor and of course the icy prosecutor is now looking into whether not there is liability because these crimes are ongoing and domestic cords are unable or unwilling to take part in terms of the matter right now, the evidence is being examined by the prosecutor and we leave it at that. well, i don't wanna leave it at that, but i want to pressure just a little bit because just looking at the raw numbers, it feels a bit odd. that 1.2 percent could be based on an arrest warrant. that means that we see a large number of anti drug operations that happening. and it's not clear how or why i don't know where you got the figures. i don't have personal knowledge about this figures and i cannot comment on something that i don't have any price on that

adjustment. but i will say that the president has enjoyed the highest satisfaction rating ever in philippine history. that he said 72 percent and a price rating of 69 percent. no other clipping present has come close to this numbers in terms of satisfaction rating and trust rating. i don't know where your statistics are coming from, but i do know what the false say and that the people are very happy. the filipino people at least are very satisfied and half trusted the president until now, which is unprecedented in finnegan history, which is understandable. this is the only president that gave us universal health care, the philippines, which is now covered 100 then gallon filipinos was out of breath. another. i mean again, if there were thousands it let us, you've been acknowledged alicia to all college students now. and that the people with bullies are very, she is the program kind of using the flame as isn't. and the reason why they have

given him is the right place of dented try smith and satisfaction rating, mach mr. ok? i mean, these are competing claims, though it is entirely possible to give people college access. it's completely possible to give people all sorts of resources and still have a very stunning violation of human rights taking place in the country. and for those tens of thousands of people who have been subjected to these drug operations . and for the thousands of people who have been killed, ah, those other issues that you raise wouldn't be a sufficient to justify what's happened if and as far as the numbers go, the give me as far as the numbers go, that nothing got out and you can have the secret id upon initial no, no but but, but, but just 11. second is that something that you and i can really show that that's why matters which have to be brought to that point and you're not the judge. i am, i am not able to get there in judge, i'm not, i'm not attempting you. but if you just need to fix this past cases without the facts, i'm a lawyer, you're not. and i'm telling you you can do that. now they are investigations

ongoing. we cannot pre solve supposedly 50001000 thousands of deaths, whether or not their murders in a talk show. you do that in a court of law. well, it's adjudicated in a court of law, but just to be clear, i'd like to finish this, this sentence in the stop one, the number of people who died. you say you don't know where these facts come from. even the most conservative number comes from the philippine drug enforcement agency of 6221. and as far as the percentage of people who have been who, who are investigated because of a warrant, that 1.2 percent number that said, comes from the report of the un high commissioner for human rights. and you said we should appeal to international bodies in order to decide these medicines, the international bodies is coming up with the numbers that you're finding skip that you're skeptical of. and as far as the international criminal court do tend to say himself, this has said that he doesn't respect the international criminal court. and he has also been quoted as saying, i will never apologize, never apologized for the death,

kill me, joe. me. i will never apologize. does that sound like someone who is willing to respond appropriately to the decision of any, any governing body? what is your for him? as i said, it's not for you and i discussed. it's now being that gave her the proper authorities, international and domestic. let's leave it that, that if there is a s a p, and if there is proportional to be, then the killings become legal because they are legal and that's pointing to human rights standards. but as i said, you have to go through each and every one of these cases and you can conclude carte blanche not going to talk, shall i agree that we have the impact these cases. i disagree that we this isn't the place for us to do it. this is exactly the place for us to interrogate people about issues that matter. your country is ranked 100 and 38th in press. freedom by reporters without waters with the organization, citing quote, the authoritarian course taken by to charity. the philippines is one of the most dangerous places in the world to practise journalism. and it's notorious libel law

has been used to target to criminalize and create impunity for the killing of journalists. what does that say about the state of democracy? well, the un human rights committee asked the philippine government to the criminal libo . it hasn't happened and that's part part and parcel like my legislative agenda to the criminalized lego. now i don't know what standards the point is without borders have, but i can tell you we have one of the free yes press in the world. and. and both of these, of course, as far as the present has been saying, is that for any single lego case against the joint, and if he would answer back in the manner that they ask questions. but that's fair play because you've got to expect the president to be meek and polite, know when number, when, when he's being subjected to a bunch of questions now. so i would say that's a opinions, but as far as i know, and i represented many join the list in this country that joined the lives are doing their job and doing it well. yeah, the issue here though,

and i appreciate your analysis of the criminalization of libel. that's a piece of it. but we're also talking about the killing of journalists in the country that the ranking of $138.00 and press freedom is something that still must be understood an end and examined. but what we're looking at cases, i mean get in there not. for example, in as late as global impunity index, the committee to protect journalists and noted that the philippines has 13 unsolved media killings ah, with up from 11 in 2020 a data from cpd also shows the 85 journalists were murdered in the philippines between 19922021 rodrigo detected the president detective day in june of 2016. he issued this, this was this warning or after being sworn, he said, just because you are a journalist, you are not exempt from assassination. if you're a son of a freedom of expression, can not help you. if you have done something wrong, what do you make of that quote? nothing. it's a statement of an opinion that journalists also have to be careful with what they

do. no, i said, is that what nation he said you're not exempted from assassination? it's not just the statement you can. would you agree to that be elite a threat of some sort? you know, you can make your own conclusions. i'm not here for the day. no, no, i'm not debating. i'm asking what you are. i respect you and want to know your as a human rights attorney, i'd be curious. know what your analysis is. if you heard that the president of a country, that is a statement of opinion, we're talking about freedom of expression who says he doesn't have a fever of expression to ok. what's important is andy is regime. he started an official office that has to deal with me to feelings and it has resulted in unprecedented convictions. ok, so i don't. but as you like to say, we won't agree. so let's move forward. let's talk about who will soon replace. president do tend to de bung. marcos junior, the son of former dictator ferdinand marco's is the current front runner. he's been caught repeatedly trying to siphon away some of the billions of dollars that his father stole from the filipino people during his rule. 6 years of which bung bung

served in government. he's also routinely minimize the severity of the human rights abuses that were committed by his father's regime. is the unapologetic, really bad choice, but he has not been, he has not been found guilty of siphoning money. he was in believe that as for administrator of the micros s state, but he was never charged with an anti graft law violation. and there's not been any decision. again, simply human rights violations either be in the philippines or under the claims act in the united states. so i'm and really surprised that where this is coming from because not as a lawyer, i did a due diligence on the market and i found no cases against him either down, enhanced representative capacity as assistant deputy administrator of his father's aspect. he was found guilty of tax evasion, no can no one that activation failure to file tax returns,

which is from activation. it is a distinction without a difference would argue over, but that's a lot that i laugh. very good lawyer said, well, i do, you know the law for you, you are you are, you are a very good lawyer sir. my question though is do you feel like having time? do you feel that he has demonstrated the character and then he and after your due diligence that you say you perform? do you feel like he's the appropriate person to, to be the next president. you know, you know, the mark i see the people with, i'm sure that it's not for you and me and not the and opinion baker. so i now i will allow that people to decide that the issue. that's how it mostly works. whether or not we like the person, he made me the most violent by some point there's a concern. but if the people will choose him, so be, you know, they're say, seeing the voice of the people, the voice of god, that the people decide that's a political question. only the sovereign people could answer that. all right, and you're a citizen and

a vocal supporter of his candidacy. so i would imagine if you're a vocal support of his candidacy, then you could answer the question as a supporter of candidates. you know, well, i will say that him the most qualified because i think the most important experience to be president is experience in an executive position. and he has had the longest period to have served as a local government executive as governor of his province now. so i think it's most qualified. so before we go to one more question, you have been a celebrated human rights attorney. you have champion many important causes. someone would view your current position both running for office and defending some of the most horrific dimensions of a repressive government. as a kind of moral fall from grace, what would you say to those people who say that you had been co opted sold out or otherwise? marley corrupted. nothing. those are the thoughts of very big offense and narrow minded individual us. i value freedom of expression. so be let the people decide

that's why i'm starting for elections to i stood for elections, one was elected. we'll see what the people say of that the people who say so thank you so much for joining me on up front. ah, in latin america, hundreds of thousands of people have died from the so called war on drugs and tens of thousands still remain forcibly disappeared. the power of cartels is not waning and many still feel the dire effects of failed counter drug policies. it's now been more than half a century since you as president nixon started the war on drugs and the u. s. port billions of dollars and to combating transnational drug trade. the result, ordinary people throughout latin america felt the run of the violence in the us. black and brown communities suffered the most from punitive counter drug policies. so is this really a war on drugs, or is it a war for control and profit? joining us to discuss this are renowned mexican investigative journalist, annabel hernandez, an author of several books, including narco land,

the mexican drug lords, and they're godfathers, and maria mcfarlane sanchez moreno senior legal advisor at human rights watch focusing on the americas u. s. and candidate. she's also the author of there are no, did hear a story of murder and denial in columbia. thank you both for joining me on up front, annabel. i'm going to start with you. back in 2006, mexico's former president philippe called their own launched a u. s. backed war on drugs in the country dispatching the army and federal police to combat drug violence. but it actually had the opposite effect of violence increased in since then. more than 3 100000 people have been killed, and more than 90000 people had been registered as forcibly disappeared. despite the initiatives to supposedly stop the drug war and billions of dollars in us aid. why does the violence continue? well, ah, really is

a separate complex in explanation. but for me there for a main em issues that caused that they did the tragedy in mexico's still being there. one is that they may get their principal drug cartel. sina lacardo sealed very powerful, not just in mexico, also in only the american continent and you know, their bus of the wool. and of course ed de kuntal is still impugn. second, that unfortunately they got as he had been having baby, many times strong thighs and tights with their, with their butts of the mexican government. i mean the military, they, they bullied, they didn't believe many parts of the government in mexico still connected with gartner. this very issue is that, you know, even even, even with a coby issue,

that demand of drugs in all that wall east is more than ever. and therefore issue is of course, that we are talking about i blow by bro. problem. he's not, i look at each in mexico in. he makes it good. you can see that there's a big tragedy, but the responsibility, the east in all the world. maria, let me turn to you because in columbia, we're seeing an interesting development as well. the drug cartels don't have as much power as they did in the 1980s, 900 ninety's, but columbia still the world's biggest producer of cocaine. drug trafficking has had a just a devastating impact on the population for, for decades in you have research the connection between drug traffickers in columbia and very high levels of government or how deep is state involvement the drug trade in columbia. so the pattern that you see in columbia is in many ways,

very similar to what you see in mexico in afghanistan and many other countries. which is that prohibition, right? this war on drugs, heavy handed enforcement extradite, arrest, kill, drug traffickers, approach. all it does is make the value, the price of drugs higher rate that fuel organized crime. so you have the drug business actively engaged in violence and very involved in corrupting public officials to protect themselves, to protect their drug corridors, to allow them to do all their business with impunity and, and to allow them to keep their, their wealth. and no matter how hard you try with the heavy handed line for some, an approach they're going to keep going. and about use documented similarly in many ways, state involvement in the drug trade or at the highest levels of the mexican government

. you exposed how former president called her owns ahead of public security was not only involved with this in a lower corto. he was on the payroll of this in a law cartel. so when the government says it's fighting, the drug war is this, just a cover is, is complete dishonesty. but why would the state be protecting these cartels? well, i say is already explained. we are talking about a global issue, jess, in mexico. we know, because this is a fact that the mexican government, the mexican system is very corrupted. we have a lot of examples of that. but what about the rest of the world? what about united states? you know, is there me guess consumer of, of drugs in, in the world. what about eop, what about us? yeah, i mean, because the drugs does not the just stay in mexico columbia and that then of the story for they don't got this to be able to drastic dis,

thumbs of drugs, throw that what they need. corrupted connections, not just in mexico, not just in columbia, also in germany, in, you know, in amsterdam, in pire, east, in new york. so we are talking about dad in these, why under ox, that groups shunt east everywhere? because we are talking about the profits of these geared to business create millions of dollars. it's a great point. and maria, we're out about things very important, right? so many people stand to benefit from, ah, the war on drugs or the enterprise, it's connected to the war on drugs. you have security contractors, you have banks or that launder money to corrupt politicians. this can't be isolated to one entity to one state, to, to one person in your view who stands to benefit the most from the world road.

i mean, i think that organized crime ultimately stands to benefit the most because it makes them so powerful and so wealthy and organized crime plus all of their cronies in the state. and as i've pointed out, it's not just in mexico or in columbia that you're, that you're looking at issues. so yes, it's those networks. it's not the growers, for example, who often get targeted or the people who get prosecuted in the united states for low level sales. and certainly not the people who get prosecuted for use hang drugs, right. you know, all of those groups of people stand to lose. right people overwhelmingly low income, black and brown, people in the united states and mexico and, and columbia end up prosecuted, imprisoned for drug offenses in this war on drugs push and that achieves nothing except destroy their lot. we're gonna take

a step back and talk a little bit about sort of the united states getting involved in the war on drugs in latin american countries. there had to be a geo political logic, a geo political reasoning for it. oh, why does the united states invest itself? why does it make that decision to invest itself? was it a new form of sort of control so to speak? you know, the us, his interest in citing drug trafficking though, are very hard to pin down in the sense that plan colombia money that the u. s. than invested in billions of dollars in columbia starting in in the late ninety's early 2 thousands. this was bill clinton, brooklyn's initiative, that money was mainly used to go after the fark girl us. they said it was to fight drug trafficking,

but very little of it was focused on going after the paramilitaries were the biggest drug traffickers at the time. and most of it was used to go after the park . so the motivations get very murky because what you end up it with is a government that is, you know, very connected to the paramilitaries in the early 2, thousands going after the fart. so the u. s. seemed to be backing one group of drug traffickers against another, and about governments if their continued business as usual and their approach to the drug war, you know, bolster insecurity forces with us funding or deploying military's fueling corruption criminalizing victims. what can we do? what would be a more effective and humanitarian approach to really ending a wall drugs if that's at all possible. worry sir, is a complicated question. you know, because in, in my point of view really had never exceed

one real war against drugs. what i do know, i have been investigating the drug, got this in mexico, also the connection with of these characters, with their countries in a specific way with united states. you know, i got information inside, once or inside one source that used to used to work with this in a la carte, then, and even the source told me, rebel me how, how did some parts of the u. s. government is going to have some relation, you want to see what that or call it like that with the senior members of this in a la carte. that. so when i had, what i have understand is that doesn't exceed a wire against drugs. exceeds a why to try to control to i the minister, the business. i think the united states government had had, had been

a bereaved. and how can i said a double face about these issues, because they call it a going against drugs. but i thinking the deep, they don't want to destroy their business, they want to administer the business. and of course, these are these in these purpose to my nash and not destroy their business. create a lot of big themes. the main of the big themes, r e e in countries like like laundry and like mexico lay center make. i mean, and we have to, we have to start to talk about these c shoes. we that know the language, these east, an international issue or the current is, should do add big plan. how to approach to these problem. i mean, we have to just try to, to let, let,

if away they old is beach, her. how'd the see shoe. i start to and start to talk about these in a new way, maria annabel. thank you so much for joining me. everybody. that is our show up front. we'll be back next week. nicholas gods, dying disproportionate numbers on that everest, leaving behind widows who struggled to survive. one o an ace needs to ship a women define tradition. to conquer the world's largest mountain on al jazeera. examining the impact of today's headlines. there are threats to peace and security that don't appear on the tv screens. setting the agenda for tomorrow's discussions . thousands of palestinians being displaced and having that times destroyed on that

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