UN rights body calls for
investigation into Philippines’ “war on drugs"
 |
| Portraits of some of the victims killed in the Philippine "war on drugs" (AFP) |
A resolution adopted by the UN Human Rights Council on July
11, calls on the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights to prepare a report on
the Philippines by June next year.
By Robin Gomes
The United Nations rights body on Thursday narrowly passed a
resolution to probe the killing of thousands of people in the Philippines in
President Rodrigo Duterte’s so-called “war on drugs”.
The resolution, led by Iceland, was adopted by a narrow
margin at the 41st session of the UN’s Human Rights Council in
Geneva. Eighteen countries voted in favour, 14 against, including China,
and 15 abstained.
The Philippine government says police have killed about
6,600 people in shootouts with suspected drug dealers since Duterte was
elected in 2016 on a platform of crushing crime, but rights activists claim the
toll is at least 27,000.
Iceland's ambassador Harald Aspelund told the forum that
they have put forward a balanced text with a very modest task - simply
requesting the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet to
prepare a report for discussion by June next year.
The resolution calls on national authorities, including the
Filipino government, to take all necessary measures to prevent extrajudicial
killings, arbitrary arrests and enforced disappearances.
The Philippine delegation lobbied against the resolution.
Ellecer "Budit" Carlos of the Manila-based rights
group iDefend said that the resolution is not just a step towards paying
justice for the thousands of families of victims of extrajudicial killings in
the Philippines but is also a collective message sent out to those who have
praised Duterte.
"This war on drugs, as we have repeatedly said, it's a
sham war," he told a news briefing in Geneva.
Philippine activists say tens of thousands are being killed
as police terrorize poor communities, using cursory drug "watchlists"
to identify suspected users or dealers, and executing many in the guise of
sting operations.
Police deny that, saying all their killings were in
self-defence.
Last month, a three-year-old girl became one of the youngest
victims of the war on drugs, after she was shot dead in a raid near Manila.
Police said she had been used as a human shield by her father, but the family
disputes this.
Duterte's spokesman, Salvador Panelo, questioned the validity
of the resolution not backed by the majority of council members. He said
that Filipinos overwhelmingly backed the president's unique leadership and
approach.
Asked by reporters in Manila whether he would allow UN
investigation, Duterte said, "Let them state their purpose and I will
review it."
Panelo said that if the president permitted the probe and if
it is carried out impartially, it would only result in the humiliation of the
investigators and those who backed the resolution.
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét