DFA Chief Yasay Demands UN Rapporteur To Apologize To President Duterte For Damaging PH
United Nations special rapporteur on extrajudicial killings
Agnes Callamard must apologize to President Rodrigo Duterte over the “tremendous”
damage she had caused to the Philippines.
Speaking to reporters in Singapore, Foreign Affairs
Secretary Perfecto Yasay said Callamard’s “arbitrary” findings on the rising
death toll of drug personalities in the country had made people believed that
the Duterte administration should be blamed for it.
“She has damaged the country tremendously by her statement.
People had jumped into conclusion that extrajudicial killings have been
perpetrated in the Philippines, that there is rampant violation and
state-sponsored violation of human rights,” said Yasay.
“The damage that she has wrought on the basis of her
responsibility is great. It demands no less than apology,” he added.
Last August, Callamard lambasted the President over the
number of slain individuals who are allegedly linked to illicit drug operation.
Callamard said President Duterte is apparently giving the
people the “license to kill” the drug suspects in the country.
“Directives of this nature are irresponsible in the extreme
and amount to incitement to violence and killing, a crime under international
law. It is effectively license to kill,” said Callamard.
Yasay demanded that Callamard absolve the government from
the drug-related deaths because her statement was not even verified.
“She must apologize for the arbitrary findings that she has
made. She must withdraw the findings immediately and admit in public before the
international community because it has unfairly damaged the country that this
conclusion that she arrived was not verified at all,” he said.
Meanwhile, Callamard’s remark has prompted the President to
issue an invitation for her to go to the Philippines and investigate for
herself the extrajudicial killings in the country.
The government, however, would allow Callamard to arrive in
the Philippines, in conditions that she would have public debate with President
Duterte, be questioned by the President, and take an oath to “confirm her
intention to be truthful.”
In a statement, Callamard said Thursday, December 15, she
wanted the government to explain the conditions that are “inconsistent with the
Special Rapporteur Code of Conduct and Terms of Reference for country visits.”
“I urge the authorities to reconsider their three
conditions, in view of the Code of Conduct and my letter to them,” she said.
Yasay maintained that the conditions have to be followed by
Callamard.
“Ms. Callamard said that she cannot comply with these
decisions. So the question of whether or not she could comply with this
decision. These conditions are her own decision. If she cannot comply with it,
that’s the end of it,” the Foreign Affairs Secretary said.
“But let it not be said that the Philippines has withdrawn
the invitation for her. The invitation still stands, Ms. Callamard,” he added.
DFA Chief Yasay Demands UN Rapporteur To Apologize To President Duterte For Damaging PH
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December 17, 2016
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