Palace slams AI for 'politicizing' Duterte's drug war

IT IS "factually wrong" for international rights watchdog Amnesty International (AI) to urge the United Nations (UN) to conduct an immediate investigation into President Rodrigo Duterte's crackdown on illegal drugs, MalacaƱang said on Monday, July 8.

In a press conference, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo slammed the AI for "politicizing" Duterte's drug war by focusing on the thousands of suspected drug personalities killed under the President's watch.

"It is incorrigible on the part of the Amnesty International to make that call. It keeps on calling for an investigation ever since, but the fact remains that the basis for their call is factually wrong," Panelo said.

"The problem is this Amnesty International is politicizing the so-called extra-judicial killings in this country. So there is bias, there is prejudice," he added.

An AI report released Monday said that the "wave of police killings" triggered by Duterte's anti-drug campaign warrants an "independent, impartial, and effective" investigation by the UN "to ensure that individuals responsible for violations of domestic law and international human rights law are held accountable, regardless of rank or position, in fair trials before civilian courts."

It also called on the Philippine government to allow "immediate and unhindered access" to international human rights monitors, including UN monitors and other international investigators.

Nicholas Bequeline, AI regional director for East and Southeast Asia, claimed that Duterte's drug war "continues to be nothing but a large-scale murdering enterprise for which the poor continue to pay the highest price."

"It is time for the United Nations, starting with its Human Rights Council (UNHRC), to act decisively to hold President Duterte and his government accountable," Bequeline said.

A total of 6,600 alleged drug offenders have been killed from July 2016 to May 2019, according to data released by the Philippine National Police in June.

AI claimed that Duterte's drug war "has effectively been a war on poor Filipinos that has undermined the rights of millions."

Panelo, however, rejected the AI's call to allow the UNHRC to initiate an investigation on the Philippines's anti-narcotics drive.

He said the AI cannot belittle the human rights groups in the Philippines, as they have been "very busy" and "very active" in helping Filipinos who feel that they have been "subject of an abuse."

"They don't have to help. Let our own group assist our own Filipinos. We don't need them. We have a battery of human rights activists in this country. We don't need interference from any other human rights groups," he said.

"So we'd rather have our own groups protective of human rights here to help those who feel that there has been police abuse in the matter of police operation," he added. (SunStar Philippines)

Trending

No stories found.

Just in

No stories found.

Branded Content

No stories found.
SunStar Publishing Inc.
www.sunstar.com.ph