2017 Photo Contest, General News, 1st prize
Photographer

Daniel Berehulak

The New York Times

24 October, 2016

Police in Manila collate a report on a sting operation against Ronald Kalau, which left him dead. Police claim Kalau drew a 0.38-caliber handgun when he sensed something was wrong with the alleged purchase of methamphetamine, and the police gunned him down.

President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines began a concerted anti-drug offensive soon after taking office on 30 June. During his presidential campaign, Duterte and senior officials had linked high national crime rates with drugs: an approach popular with voters dissatisfied with the political establishment and its failure to tackle poverty, crime and corruption. The president repeatedly ordered an increase of efforts in the offensive. Amnesty International reports that this led to human rights violations, including extrajudicial killings by both civilians and police. According to the Philippine National Police, officers and unknown armed persons carried out 7,025 drug-related killings between 1 July and 21 January 2017.

About the photographer

Daniel Berehulak

A native of Sydney, Australia, and a regular contributor to The New York Times, he has visited more than 60 countries covering history-shaping events, including the Iraq and Afgh...

Technical information

Shutter Speed
1/30
Focal length
31.0 mm
F-Stop
2.8
ISO
16000
Camera
NIKON D5

This image is collected in